Lupus anti coagulant

[amy1808]

What the difference between lupus anti coagulant and other anti coagulant

[Manofmendip]

Hi amy

Lupus anticoagulant is one of the blood tests used to diagnose APS/Hughes Syndrome. It is a very badly named test. Have a look at this link:

hughes-syndrome.org/about-h...

Dave

[GinaD]

The naming process for some diseases and blood tests is bizarre. Back in the day, doctors may have noticed a correlation between this blood test and that group of symptoms. So they end up naming the blood test for the symptom group that correlates with those test results. And vice vrsa, naming a disease after a blood test. Later, as the science advances, doctors achieve a better understanding of exactly how those symptoms fit into an illness or a syndrome and revise the diagnosis that is based on that blood test. But here's the frustrating part: THEY NEVER CHANGE THE NAMES! When I was first diagnosed with this disease, my doctor called it antiphospholipid syndrome. Then, when I realize that phospholipids are found on the surface of every cell in my body I freaked out as i expected that my immune system was going to attack any part of me at any minute.

But if course, no. Even though the name antiphospholopid syndrone certainly implies that your white cells are out to get every other cell in your body, thats not an accurate description. I went through some months if stress before my midunderstanding was explained to me.

And in the case of the lupus anticoagulant, also known as the antinuclear antibody test or ANA, again, no one has ever changed the name to reflect what a positive test result means. A consistent positive, coupled with the proper symptoms, can indicate the presence of lupus or sticky blood syndrome.

And concerning your question about other coagulents and anticoagulents-- If you look at the graph of the clotting cascade you'll see that there are many, many dominoes in that process. And again, correlations between some accidentally discovered blood tests and certain symptoms were spotted many years ago. But our understanding of this process is in itself a work in process. We all look forward to the day when the testing for sticky blood symptoms is more specific. But for now, we have three blood tests that can indicate the presence of sticky blood syndrome: the lupus anticoagulant, also known as the ANA, The also – poorly-named cardiolipin antibody test, and the beta-2 glycoprotein test.