Liver

Clotting of the blood in the liver can sometimes be under-diagnosed in APS, and is usually detected by the findings of abnormal liver function tests.

Recurrent clotting can occasionally lead to cirrhosis of the liver and, in rare, untreated cases, serious clotting of the liver veins can occur leading to more severe liver damage – a condition known as Budd Chiari syndrome. With this condition, the blood clots can prevent blood from flowing out of the liver and symptoms can include nausea, vomiting, jaundice (yellow skin), dark urine and swelling of the abdomen.

Early diagnosis and anticoagulation treatment generally leads to improvement of the milder forms of liver involvement.