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Research Article: Severe thrombocytopenia is associated with arterial thrombotic manifestations in antiphospholipid syndrome: a two-center cohort study

Date Published: 2026-08-26

Abstract:
Thrombocytopenia in APS is often regarded primarily as a bleeding-related manifestation, but the relationship between platelet-count severity and thrombotic manifestations remains uncertain. We evaluated the association between severe thrombocytopenia and arterial thrombotic manifestations in patients with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). In a two-center baseline cohort of 313 patients with APS, baseline platelet count (PLT) was categorized as PLT <50×10 9 /L, PLT 50–<100×10 9 /L, or PLT ?100×10 9 /L. Associations with prevalent baseline thrombotic manifestations were assessed using multivariable logistic regression in 300 patients with primary APS or systemic lupus erythematosus-associated APS. In the Renji follow-up cohort (n=254), 48-month thrombotic events were evaluated using Kaplan–Meier curves and Cox models. PLT <50×10 9 /L was associated with a higher frequency of arterial thrombosis (66.7%), particularly cerebral infarction (62.7%), whereas venous thrombosis was most frequent in the PLT 50–<100×10 9 /L group (68.4%). After multivariable adjustment, PLT <50×10 9 /L remained associated with a higher prevalence of arterial thrombosis (aOR 2.16, 95% CI 1.07–4.35, P = 0.032) and cerebral infarction (aOR 2.37, 95% CI 1.18–4.73, P = 0.015). During 48-month follow-up, PLT <50×10 9 /L was associated with increased risks of any thrombotic event (HR 3.28, 95% CI 1.54–6.97, P = 0.002), arterial thrombotic event (HR 3.95, 95% CI 1.39–11.21, P = 0.010), and cerebral infarction (HR 4.11, 95% CI 1.44–11.73, P = 0.008), but not venous-related events. Severe thrombocytopenia was associated with arterial thrombotic manifestations in APS, particularly cerebral infarction. PLT <50×10 9 /L may provide additional clinical risk information but may also reflect cumulative disease burden and overall APS severity.

Introduction:
Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is an acquired autoimmune thrombotic disorder mediated by persistent antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs), and is characterized by arterial thrombosis, venous thrombosis, and pregnancy morbidity ( 1 – 3 ). In addition to these classical manifestations, several non-criteria features, including thrombocytopenia, hemolytic anemia, cardiac valve disease, microangiopathy, and neurological involvement, are increasingly recognized as clinically relevant components of the APS spectrum ( 4 ).…

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