Journal List > J Rheum Dis > v.21(2) > 1064165

Cho, Yang, Kim, and Lee: A Case of Refractory Headache with Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome Improved by High-Intensity Warfarin Medication

Abstract

Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS) is a coagulation disorder associated with antiphospholipid antibodies. Headache is common in APS patients and often un-responsive to analgesics. We report a case of refractory headache in a patient with APS, who was improved by high-intensity warfarin treatment. The mechanisms of the headache in patients with APS were presumed to be hyper-coagulability of microcirculation and thrombotic occlusion of the capillaries, which were associated with antiphospholipid antibodies. Therefore, high-intensity warfarin could be considered as one of the treatments for refractory headache in patients with APS.

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Figure 1.
Brain MRI of the patient. (A, B) FLAIR and T-weighted image show cerebral infarction in the left insular cortex. (C) MR angiography reveals no stenotic lesion in intracranial arteries.
jrd-21-74f1.tif
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