Detection of lupus anticoagulant in patients attending an anticoagulation clinic.

surgical decompression of the Arnold-Chiari malformation in young infants with myelomeningocele. The presence of the lupus anticoagulant is now known to indicate a tendency towards thromboses and recurrent abortions.' In patients with a history of thrombosis identifying the presence of lupus anti-coagulant is clinically important as long term anti-coagulation treatment should perhaps be considered. We determined the prevalence of lupus anticoagulant in selected patients attending an anticoagulation clinic. Patients, methods, and results About 1300 patients in total attend the anticoagula-tion clinic at this hospital. The following patients were selected to be screened for lupus anticoagulant: patients of any age with a history of recurrent thrombosis or an episode of thrombosis at a site other than veins of the legs, such as the axillary vein; patients aged less than 40 with a history of venous or arterial thrombosis in the absence of any known predisposing factors, such as the use of contraceptive pills, prolonged immobilisation, malignancy, obesity, or cardiac arrhythmias; and women with a history ofboth thrombosis and recurrent abortions or unexplained intrauterine death.