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Adverse pregnancy outcomes are associated with the lupus anticoagulant (LAC), an autoantibody directed against procoagulant phospholipids. Obstetrical services often test women with recurrent pregnancy losses for LAC, but positive test results seem to be infrequent. Whether the yield would be improved by ordering multiple tests is unclear.
To examine the prevalence of LAC and its relationship to recurrent pregnancy losses, investigators analyzed laboratory data from 2257 patients seen at a tertiary referral clinic during a 6-year interval. LAC was considered to be present if at least one of four screening assays was positive on two or more occasions.
Only 2.7% of patients met this criterion. Women with LAC were older than those without LAC (4…