Not an inherited disorder

Antiphospholipid syndrome or antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS or APLS), or often known also as Hughes syndrome in the UK, is an autoimmune, hypercoagulable state caused by antiphospholipid antibodies. APS provokes blood clots (thrombosis) in both aeries and veins as well as pregnancy-related complications such as miscarriage, stillbih, preterm delivery, and severe preeclampsia. The diagnostic criteria require one clinical event, i.e. thrombosis or pregnancy complication, and two antibody blood tests spaced at least three months apa that confirm the presence of either lupus anticoagulant, or anti-b2-glycoprotein-I (since b2-glycoprotein-I antibodies are a subset of anti-cardiolipin antibodies, an anti-cardiolipin assay can be performed as a less specific proxy). Antiphospholipid syndrome can be primary or secondary. Primary antiphospholipid syndrome occurs in the absence of any other related disease. Secondary antiphospholipid syndrome occurs with other autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). In rare cases, APS leads to rapid organ failure due to generalised thrombosis; this is termed "catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome" (CAPS or Asherson syndrome) and is associated with a high risk of death.