Open AccessCatastrophic Antiphospholipid Syndrome Presenting as Congestive Heart Failure in a Patient with Thrombotic Microangiopathy
Author(s) -
Iulia Tulai,
Oana Penciu,
Raymond Raut,
Alla Rudinskaya
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
texas heart institute journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.373
H-Index - 53
eISSN - 1526-6702
pISSN - 0730-2347
DOI - 10.14503/thij-17-6472
Subject(s) - thrombotic microangiopathy , medicine , microangiopathic hemolytic anemia , heart failure , antiphospholipid syndrome , catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome , cardiology , microangiopathy , thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura , thrombus , cardiomyopathy , thrombosis , disease , platelet , endocrinology , diabetes mellitus
Thrombotic microangiopathic syndromes are characterized by thrombus formation leading to microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, and end-organ injury that most often affects the kidney and brain. Patients with thrombotic microangiopathy can also present with cardiac involvement, which has been shown to worsen their prognosis. We describe the case of a 46-year-old woman who presented with acute congestive heart failure as a manifestation of catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome, which is characterized by rapidly progressing multiorgan involvement. Targeted therapy improved our patient's cardiomyopathy and saved her life. Increased recognition of thrombotic microangiopathy as an underlying pathophysiologic mechanism in heart failure and initiation of timely treatment may help to prevent death in patients with thrombotic microangiopathy.