Abstract
Interventions with heparin therapies have increased fetal survival in patients with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). In this review, several physiological and pharmacological effects of heparin are described. These different mechanisms of action could explain the beneficial effects of heparin in the treatment of recurrent pregnancy loss in patients with APS. In addition to direct effects of heparin on the coagulation cascade, heparin might protect pregnancies by reducing the binding of antiphospholipid antibodies, reducing inflammation, facilitating implantation and or inhibiting complement activation.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 45-51 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Journal of Reproductive Immunology |
| Volume | 66 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jun 2005 |
Keywords
- Abortion, Habitual
- Antibodies, Antiphospholipid
- Anticoagulants
- Antigen-Antibody Reactions
- Antiphospholipid Syndrome
- Complement Inactivator Proteins
- Complement System Proteins
- Embryo Implantation
- Female
- Heparin
- Humans
- Pregnancy