The anticardiolipin antibody syndrome is relatively uncommon. It shoul
d be suspected mostly in young people with unexplained embolic or thro
mbotic events. A young patient with an abnormal prothrombin time, part
ial thromboplastin time, or venereal disease research lab test with on
e of the above noted vascular events would be a suspect for this disor
der. Though an antibody test that will qualitatively and quantitativel
y measure antiphospholipid antibodies is available, its clinical appli
cation is not entirely clear. The presence of the antibody will suppor
t a diagnosis but cannot be used alone for diagnosis or treatment.