Arterial thrombotic manifestations in young women associated with the lupus anticoagulant

Summary To demonstrate the wide variety of clinical syndromes associated with the lupus anticoagulant (LAC), we report the case histories of three young females with arterial thrombosis in whom LAC was demonstrated. Two patients had a diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus and mixed connective tissue disease respectively; the other patient had no signs of underlying auto-immune disease. Arterial thrombotic events in young females should arouse suspicion of the presence of LAC although its pathophysiological significance is not established.