Antiphospholipid Syndrome Is Still a Rare Disease—Estimated Prevalence in the Piedmont and Aosta Valley Regions of Northwest Italy: Comment on the Article by Duarte‐García et al

Abstract

We read with interest the recent article by Duarte-García, A. et al. where they reported an estimated prevalence of the antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) of 50 cases per 100,000 population. APS is an autoimmune disorder characterized by thrombotic events, pregnancy morbidity, or both in the presence of persistent positivity for antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL). While APS is often held as the most common acquired thrombophilia, the global incidence and the prevalence of APS in the general population still need to be fully elucidated. Some reports estimate an incidence of 5 cases per 100,000 persons per year and a prevalence of 40-50 cases per 100.000 persons. Recently, several studies made further attempts to estimate the prevalence of aPL in different cohorts, such as young patients with stroke, patients with pregnancy morbidity, stroke, myocardial infarction, deep vein thrombosis, and patients with first unprovoked thrombosis.