Neonatal antiphospholipid syndrome

Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is a clinical entity characterized by arterial and venous thrombosis, adverse obstetric outcome and the presence of antibodies against phospholipids in serum or plasma. The objective of the present study is to describe a rare case of APS that occurred in a neonate born from a patient previously diagnosed as primary APS. A male, preterm born twin infant, whose mother had been diagnosed as primary APS, developed thrombocytopenia, livedo reticularis, pericardial effusion and thrombosis of the left subclavian and external jugular veins concomitantly with severe respiratory tract infection soon after his delivery, that culminated with his death two months after the birth, in spite of the large spectrum antibiotic therapy and all supportive measures. Laboratory findings included high titers of IgM anticardiolipin antibodies and moderate titers of IgG isotype and negative antinuclear antibody, configuring a case of neonatal APS. Neonatal APS is a rare clinical condition, with only a few cases described in the literature. Its occurrence may depend on the passage of antibodies through the placenta or, as it seems to have occurred in the present case, by the production of de novo antibodies by the fetus. The present case illustrates the necessity of a higher surveillance of the neonates born from mothers with primary APS or systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) for the eventual development of such complication.