APSCORE

The Antiphospholipid Syndrome Collaborative Registry (APSCORE) is a national disease registry sponsored by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) and the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHD). The purpose of this registry is to collect and update clinical, demographic, and laboratory data on people with Antiphospholipid Syndrome (APS), as well as those with antiphospholipid antibodies who do not have other symptoms commonly associated with APS. The registry also serves as a repository of blood samples from enrolled subjects.

APSCORE is designed as a multi-center, multi-specialty, collaborative project involving a group of leading APS physicians at 8 academic medical centers. This approach allows for the recruitment of a large number of subjects, representing the full spectrum of APS clinical manifestations. The registry's coordinating center is housed in the Thurston Arthritis Research Center in the School of Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The information and blood samples collected will be used to support a wide range of research into the causes and treatment of APS.

The specimens and data collected will be made available to researchers and medical practitioners to support a broad range of research on the causes, diagnosis, mechanisms, and treatment of the antiphospholipid syndrome. The enrollment sites are in New York City, Baltimore, Atlanta, 2 sites in North Carolina, Muncie, San Antonio, and Salt Lake City.

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What is APS

APS is an autoimmune disorder in which the body recognizes certain normal components of blood and/or cell membranes as foreign substances and produces antibodies against them. Patients with these antibodies may experience blood clots, including heart attacks and strokes, and miscarriages. APS may occur in people with systemic lupus erythematosus, other autoimmune disease, or in otherwise healthy individuals.

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