Role of the complement in pregnancy with antiphospholipid syndrome: Mechanisms of pathogenesis and clinical aspects

Antiphospholipid syndrome is a disease that was discovered just 25 years ago. Although clinical manifestations have been clearly described, pathogenetic mechanisms are still barely understood. A recent hypothesis involves inflammation in the setting of antiphospholipid syndrome morbidity and experimental data support the activation of a complement cascade as a pivotal event in its physiopathology. In this review, the authors will analyze the recent literature, focusing on contemporary and emerging aspects of complement-mediated disease pathogenesis, and pinpoint the clinical significance of this novel finding. © 2013 Future Medicine Ltd.