Multiorgan thrombotic disorders have been described in a variety of conditions including systemic lupus erythematosus. Among these are the 'catastrophic' antiphospholipid syndrome, disseminated intravascular coagulation and the thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura-haemolytic uraemic syndrome. In this review we briefly analyse some specific clinical and haematological characteristics of these conditions and attempt to uncover common links between them.