Bilateral Upper Limb Symmetrical Digital Gangrene: A Rare Presentation of Anti-Phospholipid Syndrome

• Published in: Curēus (Palo Alto, CA) Vol. 14; no. 9
• Main Authors: Rijal, Prabhat, Kaur, Garima, Yadav, Bimalesh, Raina, Rohit, Pathania, Monika
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Palo Alto Cureus Inc 23-09-2022
• Subjects: Amputation; Antibodies; Anticoagulants; Antigens; Autoimmune diseases; Case reports; Creatinine; Gangrene; Glycoproteins; Hands; Hemoptysis; Lupus; Medical imaging; Patients; Pregnancy; Proteins; Tomography; Ulcers; Veins & arteries
• ISSN: 2168-8184; 2168-8184
• DOI: 10.7759/cureus.29516

Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is an autoimmune disease present most commonly in young women, characterized by the presence of antibodies against various phospholipids and culminating in alteration of the flow of blood, leading to arterial and venous thrombosis. Although it can present with a wide range of manifestations, digital gangrene is one of the important ones. We present a case of a young female with antiphospholipid syndrome who presented with acute onset bilateral upper limb symmetrical digital gangrene with prior history of multiple fetal losses. Acute onset, symmetrical gangrene, limited to the bilateral upper limbs without venous system involvement, that too in association with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) which does not usually manifest as such make this case a unique and interesting one.