Middle cerebral artery infarct in transient antiphospholipid antibody syndrome

Abstract

The antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS) is an acquired prothrombotic state where thrombosis is related to the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies. It can occur in the absence of associated disease when it is termed primary antiphospholipid syndrome, or it can be secondary to an underlying autoimmune disease, most commonly systemic lupus erythematosus. We report a case of a male child with no underlying infectious or autoimmune disease who presented to us with a large middle cerebral artery (MCA) infarct secondary to transient APS. Although lupus anticoagulant antibodies can be detected in plasma in early-stage, their persistence should be confirmed by repeating the test again after 12 weeks as transient APS is well known in the pediatric population. The exact prevalence of pediatric APS and its manifestation in Asian and particularly Indian children are unknown and further epidemiological studies are warranted.