APLA (Anti Phospholipid Antibody) IgM & IgG in Dehradun

What is a APLA (Anti Phospholipid Antibody) IgM & IgG?

Anticardiolipin antibodies are one of three laboratory markers used to identify antiphospholipid syndrome, an autoimmune condition in which the immune system produces antibodies against phospholipid-binding proteins and, paradoxically, makes the blood more likely to clot rather than less. The syndrome matters because it is one of the few genuinely treatable causes of recurrent miscarriage and of unexplained blood clots in young people, and because untreated it carries a substantial risk of recurrence. Diagnosis is deliberately strict, and the strictness is the point. A single positive result is not enough: antibodies must be persistently present on two occasions at least twelve weeks apart, because transient positives are common after infections and with certain medicines and would otherwise lead people into lifelong anticoagulation they do not need. Laboratory positivity alone is also not enough; there must be a clinical event, either a confirmed thrombosis or a defined pattern of pregnancy loss. Both IgG and IgM are measured, with IgG generally carrying more weight, and higher titres being more significant than borderline ones.

Why take this test?

This test is advised for a blood clot occurring without an obvious explanation, particularly a deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism or stroke in someone young, or clotting in an unusual site. It is a core part of the recurrent miscarriage work-up, specifically three or more losses before ten weeks, a loss after ten weeks with a normally formed fetus, or a premature birth caused by severe pre-eclampsia or placental insufficiency. It is also indicated in lupus, where antiphospholipid antibodies frequently coexist, and when a routine clotting test comes back unexpectedly prolonged. It is ordered together with lupus anticoagulant and anti-beta-2 glycoprotein I, since the three are read as a set. Do not act on a single positive: the repeat at twelve weeks is what distinguishes a transient post-infectious antibody from the syndrome, and the difference determines whether someone takes anticoagulants for life.

• Unexplained blood clot, especially in someone young
• Deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism or stroke without clear cause
• Three or more miscarriages before ten weeks
• A pregnancy loss after ten weeks with a normally formed fetus
• Severe pre-eclampsia or placental insufficiency causing premature birth
• Lupus, or an unexpectedly prolonged clotting test

FAQs: APLA (Anti Phospholipid Antibody) IgM & IgG in Dehradun