Lupus anticoagulants

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Blood clots

Systemic lupus erythematosus rash on the face

No treatment is required when there are no symptoms. If clots occur, your health care provider may prescribe blood thinners (heparin followed by warfarin). Higher-than-usual doses of warfarin may be needed. Steroids sometimes help lower antibody levels, but it is not clear whether this decreases clotting risk.

The outcome is usually good with appropriate therapy. Some patients have difficult-to-control clots with recurrent symptoms.

• Stroke
• Heart attack
• Blood clot in lungs (pulmonary embolism)

Call your health care provider if you notice symptoms of a blood clot, which include swelling or redness in the leg, shortness of breath, or pain, numbness and pallor in an arm or leg.

Review Date: 02/06/2007
Reviewed By: William Matsui, MD, Assistant Professor of Oncology, Division of Hematologic Malignancies, The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.