Antiphospholipid syndrome: an overview.

This paper reviews antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), also known as Hughes syndrome, which is a potentially life-threatening autoimmune disorder where the body produces antibodies directed toward phospholipids and phospholipid-binding proteins. Diagnosis of this syndrome relies on both clinical and laboratory criteria. Laboratory testing used for diagnosing APS includes coagulation assays for the detection of lupus anticoagulant (LA) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for antiphospholipid antibody (APL) detection.