The Spinal Cord and “Multiple Sclerosis”

Abstract

Our early work on antiphospholipid antibodies was on the spinal cord disease “Jamaican neuropathy”. So, in a way, it came as no surprise when we saw some APS patients with spinal cord lesions. Perhaps next to stroke, this is the most feared complication of APS. Damage to this region can paralyse the lower limbs as well as the bladder. Spinal cord disease has long been a feature of lupus, and some have suggested that the presence of aPL and thrombosis is the link in many of these cases. Fortunately, this is a rare problem, and there is still insufficient data to say whether anticoagulation (in addition to the more conventional steroid treatment) is the treatment of choice.