Epidemiology, Treatment Patterns, and Cost Analysis of Immune Thrombocytopenia in Spain between 2014 and 2020: A Population-based Study.

Background Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is characterised by low platelet counts and often leads to bleeding, fatigue, and reduced health-related quality of life. Methods This observational, retrospective, population-based study using BIG-PAC® database included Spanish paediatric and adult patients with primary ITP diagnosed in primary care and hospitals between 2014 and 2020 (median follow-up: 4 years). Epidemiology, baseline/clinical characteristics, treatment trends, healthcare resources and costs were analysed. Results The BIG-PAC® database contains records of 1,818,588 patients; 170 adults and 27 children with ITP were included in our analysis. ITP prevalence and annual incidence per 100,000 were estimated in 10.8 (2.8 in chronic ITP [cITP] patients) and 1.5 (0.3 in cITP patients), respectively. Epistaxis was the most common bleeding event, followed by genitourinary and gastrointestinal bleeding; >50%/> 75% of ITP/cITP patients reported fatigue. Chronic patients had lower platelet counts at baseline and required more transfusions. Corticosteroids, immunosuppressants, and thrombopoietin receptor agonists were the most used agents in first-, second- and third-line treatment, respectively. Thirty-five patients, all of them in chronic phase, underwent splenectomy. Patients had on average 13.9, 6.6, and 1.2 visits/year to primary care, haematology/internal medicine, and emergency departments, respectively. More than one-fourth of adult patients took on average 16.3 days of sick leave annually. Mean annual total health care costs were €10,741 (ITP patients) and €19,809 (cITP patients). Conclusion This is the first study to provide an overall perspective on the situation of the Spanish ITP population in terms of epidemiology, treatment trends, health care resources and costs, highlighting unmet patient needs, and direct and indirect costs/resource use between 2014 and 2020.

Diagnosis and management of Evans syndrome in adults: first consensus recommendations.

Evans syndrome is a rare disease marked by a severe clinical course, high relapse rate, infectious and thrombotic complications, and sometimes fatal outcome. Management is highly heterogeneous. There are several case reports but few large retrospective studies and no prospective or randomised trials. Here, we report the results of the first consensus-based expert recommendations aimed at harmonising the diagnosis and management of Evans syndrome in adults. After reviewing the literature, we used a fuzzy Delphi consensus method, with two rounds of a 42-item questionnaire that were scored by a panel of 13 international experts from five countries using a 7-point Likert scale. Panellists were selected by the core panel on the basis of their personal experience and previous publications on Evans syndrome and immune cytopenias; they met virtually throughout 2023. The panellists recommended extensive clinical and laboratory diagnostic tests, including bone marrow evaluation and CT scan, and an aggressive front-line therapy with prednisone (with or without intravenous immunoglobulins), with different treatment durations and tapering for immune thrombocytopenia and autoimmune haemolytic anaemias (AIHAs). Rituximab was strongly recommended as first-line treatment in cold-type AIHA and as second-line treatment in warm-type AIHA and patients with immune thrombocytopenia and antiphospholipid antibodies, previous thrombotic events, or associated lymphoproliferative diseases. However, rituximab was discouraged for patients with immunodeficiency or severe infections, with the same applying to splenectomy. Thrombopoietin receptor agonists were recommended for chronic immune thrombocytopenia and in the case of previous grade 4 infection. Fostamatinib was recommended as third-line or further-line treatment and suggested as second-line therapy for patients with previous thrombotic events. Immunosuppressive agents have been moved to third-line or further-line treatment. The panellists recommended the use of recombinant erythropoietin in AIHA in the case of inadequate reticulocyte counts, use of the complement inhibitor sutimlimab for relapsed cold AIHA, and the combination of rituximab plus bendamustine in Evans syndrome secondary to lymphoproliferative disorders. Finally, recommendations were given for supportive therapy, platelet or red blood cell transfusions, and thrombotic and antibiotic prophylaxis. These consensus-based recommendations should facilitate best practice for diagnosis and management of Evans syndrome in clinical practice.

Fostamatinib effectiveness and safety for immune thrombocytopenia in clinical practice.

Fostamatinib, a recently approved syk inhibitor used in adult primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), has been shown to be safe and effective in this disorder. However, clinical trial results may not be similarly reproduced in clinical practice. Here 138 ITP patients (both primary and secondary) from 42 Spanish centers who had been treated with fostamatinib were evaluated prospectively and retrospectively. The median age of our cohort (55.8% women) was 66 years (interquartile range, IQR, 56-80 years). The median time since ITP diagnosis at fostamatinib initiation was 51 months (IQR, 10-166 months). The median number of therapies prior to fostamatinib initiation was 4 (IQR, 2-5), including eltrombopag (76.1%), romiplostim (57.2%) and intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG) (44.2%). Fifty-eight patients (42.0%) had signs/symptoms of bleeding in the month prior to treatment initiation. 79.0% of patients responded to fostamatinib with 53.6% complete responses (platelet count > 100 x 109 /L). Eighty-three patients (60.1%) received fostamatinib monotherapy achieving a high response rate (85.4%). The proportion of time in response during the 27-month period examined was 83.3%. The median time to platelet response was 11 days (IQR, 7-21 days). Sixty-seven patients (48.5%) experienced adverse events, mainly grade 1-2, the commonest of which were diarrhea (n = 28) and hypertension (n = 21). One patient had deep venous thrombosis and one patient developed acute myocardial infarction. Fostamatinib was shown to be effective with good safety profile in patients with primary and secondary ITP across a wide age spectrum in this real-world study.

Real-life clinical practice in Spain in the setting of new drug availability for ITP treatment. A Delphi-based Spanish expert panel consensus.

Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is a common autoimmune hematological disorder. Despite this, diagnosis is still challenging due to clinical heterogeneity and the lack of a specific diagnostic test. New findings in the pathology and the availability of new drugs have led to the development of different guidelines worldwide. In the present study, the Delphi methodology has been used to get a consensus on the management of adult patients with ITP in Spain and to help in decision-making. The Delphi questionnaire has been designed by a scientific ad hoc committee and has been divided into 13 topics, with a total of 127 items, covering the maximum possible scenarios for the management of ITP. As a result of the study, a total consensus of 81% has been reached. It is concluded that this Delphi consensus provides practical recommendations on topics related to diagnosis and management of ITP patients to help doctors to improve outcomes. Some aspects remain unclear, without consensus among the experts. Thus, more advances are needed to optimize ITP management.

What is the context? Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is a hematologic autoimmune disease characterized by accelerated destruction and inadequate production of platelets mediated by autoantibodies (platelet count <100 × 10⁹ /L).Despite being a common condition, its heterogeneous clinical course makes its diagnosis and management still a challenge.In recent years, new molecules with different mechanisms of action have emerged for the treatment of ITP.Due to the increasing information about the pathology and its therapies, several international guidelines have recently been established to provide recommendations for the management and treatment of ITP.There are still many patient scenarios and disease aspects which are not addressed in the guidelines.What is new? Our Spanish ITP Expert Group has developed a Delphi consensus study to provide recommendations and promote standardization of the management of adult patients with ITP in Spain.The scientific committee defined 127 statements for consensus, corresponding to 13 chapters: (i) Diagnosis of ITP, (ii) First-line treatment, (iii) Second-line treatment, (iv) Treatment of refractory patients, (v) Follow-up, (vi) Emergency and surgery, (vii) ITP in the elderly, (viii) ITP in pregnancy, (ix) Anticoagulation and antiplatelet, (x) Secondary ITP, (xi) Quality of life, (xii) Discontinuation of TPO-RA, and (xiii) ITP and Covid.The total number of agreed statements achieved was 103, giving a final percentage of consensus in the Delphi questionnaire of 81%.What is the impact? This Delphi consensus provides recommendations based on real clinical practice data, regarding the diagnosis, treatment, and management of patients and scenarios in ITP to assist clinicians in addressing this disease and achieving optimal outcomes for the patient.

A practical guide to the management of immune thrombocytopenia co-existing with acute coronary syndrome.

Introduction: Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) management with co-existing acute coronary syndrome (ACS) remains challenging as it requires a clinically relevant balance between the risk and outcomes of thrombosis and the risk of bleeding. However, the literature evaluating the treatment approaches in this high-risk population is scarce. Methods and Results: In this review, we aimed to summarize the available literature on the safety of ITP first- and second-line therapies to provide a practical guide on the management of ITP co-existing with ACS. We recommend holding antithrombotic therapy, including antiplatelet agents and anticoagulation, in severe thrombocytopenia with a platelet count < 30 × 109/L and using a single antiplatelet agent when the platelet count falls between 30 and 50 × 109/L. We provide a stepwise approach according to platelet count and response to initial therapy, starting with corticosteroids, with or without intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) with a dose limit of 35 g, followed by thrombopoietin receptor agonists (TPO-RAs) to a target platelet count of 200 × 109/L and then rituximab. Conclusion: Our review may serve as a practical guide for clinicians in the management of ITP co-existing with ACS.

Dexamethasone treatment for COVID-19 is related to increased mortality in hematologic malignancy patients: results from the EPICOVIDEHA Registry.

Not available.

Long Term Remission of Capillary Leak Syndrome Associated with Monoclonal Gammopathy with Progression to Multiple Myeloma After Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation: a Case Report and Review of the Literature.

BACKGROUND: Clarkson's disease is a very rare entity characterised by acute episodes of systemic oedema and severe hypotension associated with paraproteinaemia. Its classical treatment relies on methylxanthine combined with terbutaline. Although this prophylactic therapy reduces the mortality rate, relapses are frequent. Eighty percent of patients with Clarkson's disease present with monoclonal gammopathy of unknown significance (MGUS). The risk of progression to multiple myeloma is 1% per year. CASE DESCRIPTION: Here, we present a 49-year-old woman who suffered multiple such episodes requiring treatment in the intensive care unit. Treatment with terbutaline and theophylline was ineffective. She was diagnosed with multiple myeloma (MM) 8 years after the first of these acute episodes. Antimyeloma treatment with bortezomib and dexamethasone was started, followed by autologous haemopoietic transplantation, with no further acute episodes since then. CONCLUSION: Our case is, to our knowledge, unique because eradication of MM was followed by complete disappearance of acute episodes of capillary leakage. Our case report is also the first to support the use of bortezomib and dexamethasone in this setting. Furthermore, autologous peripheral blood progenitor cell transplantation consolidated the MM stringent complete remission achieving a very long progression-free survival (> 11 years) of both MM and Clarkson's disease.

The problem of immune thrombocytopenia refractory to both eltrombopag and romiplostim.

Immune thrombocytopenia refractory to multiple thrombopoietin receptor agonists remains a challenging clinical problem. This commentary discusses and contextualizes the recent report on this entity from Moulis and colleagues, and how to move forward with these patients. Commentary on: Moulis et al. Difficult-to-treat primary immune thrombocytopenia in adults: Prevalence and burden. Results from the CARMEN-France Registry. Br J Haematol 2024;204:1476-1482.

Recommendations for the Clinical Approach to Immune Thrombocytopenia: Spanish ITP Working Group (GEPTI).

Primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is a complex autoimmune disease whose hallmark is a deregulation of cellular and humoral immunity leading to increased destruction and reduced production of platelets. The heterogeneity of presentation and clinical course hampers personalized approaches for diagnosis and management. In 2021, the Spanish ITP Group (GEPTI) of the Spanish Society of Hematology and Hemotherapy (SEHH) updated a consensus document that had been launched in 2011. The updated guidelines have been the reference for the diagnosis and management of primary ITP in Spain ever since. Nevertheless, the emergence of new tools and strategies makes it advisable to review them again. For this reason, we have updated the main recommendations appropriately. Our aim is to provide a practical tool to facilitate the integral management of all aspects of primary ITP management.

Early immunomodulation in immune thrombocytopenia-A report of the ICIS meeting in Lenzerheide, Switzerland 2022.

The only way to prevent immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) from becoming refractory would be to restore tolerance to platelets at an early phase of the disease. Numerous immune alterations probably accumulate in chronic ITP; thus, the chances of cure decrease significantly with time. Currently, sustained remission off treatment (SROT) is a clinical definition describing patients who can discontinue their ITP treatment without risk and maintain a state of remission. Different treatment strategies are presently being evaluated with the goal of attaining SROT, mostly combining drugs targeting the innate and/or the adaptive immune system, the inflammation state, so as increasing the platelet load. In this sense, thrombopoietin receptor agonists (TPO-RAs) have shown promising results if used as upfront treatment. TPO-RAs seem to exhibit immunomodulation and immune tolerance properties, increasing not only the platelet antigen mass but also increasing the transforming growth factor-ß concentration, and stimulating regulatory T and B lymphocytes. However, more immunological studies are needed to establish accurate molecular alterations in ITP that are potentially reversed with treatments.

Primary and secondary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP): Time for a rethink.

There are not many publications that provide a holistic view of the management of primary and secondary ITP as a whole, reflecting the similarities and differences between the two. Given the lack of major clinical trials, we believe that comprehensive reviews are much needed to guide the diagnosis and treatment of ITP today. Therefore, our review addresses the contemporary diagnosis and treatment of ITP in adult patients. With respect to primary ITP we especially focus on establishing the management of ITP based on the different and successive lines of treatment. Life-threatening situations, "bridge therapy" to surgery or invasive procedures and refractory ITP are also comprehensively reviewed here. Secondary ITP is studied according to its pathogenesis by establishing three major differential groups: Immune Thrombocytopenia due to Central Defects, Immune Thrombocytopenia due to Blocked Differentiation and Immune Thrombocytopenia due to Defective Peripheral Immune Response. Here we provide an up-to-date snapshot of the current diagnosis and treatment of ITP, including a special interest in addressing rare causes of this disease in our daily clinical practice. The target population of this review is adult patients only and the target audience is medical professionals.

Sustained Remission Off-Treatment (SROT) of TPO-RAs: The Burgos Ten-Step Eltrombopag Tapering Scheme.

Background and Objectives: TPO-RAs (romiplostim/eltrombopag/avatrombopag) have broadly demonstrated high efficacy rates (59-88%), durable responses (up to three years) and a satisfactory safety profile in clinical trials. The effect of TPO-RAs is classically considered to be transient because platelet numbers usually dropped rapidly to baseline unless therapy was maintained. However, several groups have reported the possibility of successfully discontinuing TPO-RAs in some patients without further need for concomitant treatments. This concept is usually referred as sustained remission off-treatment (SROT). Materials and Methods: Unfortunately, we still lack predictors of the response to discontinuation even after the numerous biological, clinical and in vitro studies performed to study this phenomenon. The frequency of successful discontinuation is matter of controversy, although a percentage in the range of 25-40% may probably be considered a consensus. Here, we describe all major routine clinical practice studies and reviews that report the current position on this topic and compare them with our own results in Burgos. Results: We report our Burgos ten-step eltrombopag tapering scheme with which we have achieved an elevated percentage rate of success (70.3%) in discontinuing treatment. Conclusions: We hope this protocol may help successfully taper and discontinue TPO-RAs in daily clinical practice.

Current Concepts in the Diagnosis and Management of Adult Primary Immune Thrombocytopenia: Our Personal View.

Primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an acquired blood disorder that causes a reduction in circulating platelets with the potential for bleeding. The incidence of ITP is slightly higher in adults and affects more women than men until 60 years, when males are more affected. Despite advances in basic science, primary ITP remains a diagnosis of exclusion. The disease is heterogeneous in its clinical behavior and response to treatment. This reflects the complex underlying pathophysiology, which remains ill-understood. Platelet destruction plays a role in thrombocytopenia, but underproduction is also a major contributing factor. Active ITP is a proinflammatory autoimmune disease involving abnormalities within the T and B regulatory cell compartments, along with several other immunological abnormalities. Over the last several years, there has been a shift from using immunosuppressive therapies for ITP towards approved treatments, such as thrombopoietin receptor agonists. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has hastened this management shift, with thrombopoietin receptor agonists becoming the predominant second-line treatment. A greater understanding of the underlying mechanisms has led to the development of several targeted therapies, some of which have been approved, with others still undergoing clinical development. Here we outline our view of the disease, including our opinion about the major diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. We also discuss our management of adult ITP and our placement of the various available therapies.

Nirmatrelvir/ritonavir in COVID-19 patients with haematological malignancies: a report from the EPICOVIDEHA registry.

Background: Nirmatrelvir/ritonavir treatment decreases the hospitalisation rate in immunocompetent patients with COVID-19, but data on efficacy in patients with haematological malignancy are scarce. Here, we describe the outcome of nirmatrelvir/ritonavir treatment in a large cohort of the latter patients. Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study from the multicentre EPICOVIDEHA registry (NCT04733729) on patients with haematological malignancy, who were diagnosed with COVID-19 between January and September 2022. Patients receiving nirmatrelvir/ritonavir were compared to those who did not. A logistic regression was run to determine factors associated with nirmatrelvir/ritonavir administration in our sample. Mortality between treatment groups was assessed with Kaplan-Meier survival plots after matching all the patients with a propensity score. Additionally, a Cox regression was modelled to detect factors associated with mortality in patients receiving nirmatrelvir/ritonavir. Findings: A total of 1859 patients were analysed, 117 (6%) were treated with nirmatrelvir/ritonavir, 1742 (94%) were treated otherwise. Of 117 patients receiving nirmatrelvir/ritonavir, 80% had received ≥1 anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccine dose before COVID-19 onset, 13% of which received a 2nd vaccine booster. 5% were admitted to ICU. Nirmatrelvir/ritonavir treatment was associated with the presence of extrapulmonary symptoms at COVID-19 onset, for example anosmia, fever, rhinitis, or sinusitis (aOR 2.509, 95%CI 1.448-4.347) and 2nd vaccine booster (aOR 3.624, 95%CI 1.619-8.109). Chronic pulmonary disease (aOR 0.261, 95%CI 0.093-0.732) and obesity (aOR 0.105, 95%CI 0.014-0.776) were not associated with nirmatrelvir/ritonavir use. After propensity score matching, day-30 mortality rate in patients treated with nirmatrelvir/ritonavir was 2%, significantly lower than in patients with SARS-CoV-2 directed treatment other than nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (11%, p = 0.036). No factor was observed explaining the mortality difference in patients after nirmatrelvir/ritonavir administration. Interpretation: Haematological malignancy patients were more likely to receive nirmatrelvir/ritonavir when reporting extrapulmonary symptoms or 2nd vaccine booster at COVID-19 onset, as opposed to chronic pulmonary disease and obesity. The mortality rate in patients treated with nirmatrelvir/ritonavir was lower than in patients with targeted drugs other than nirmatrelvir/ritonavir. Funding: EPICOVIDEHA has received funds from Optics COMMIT (COVID-19 Unmet Medical Needs and Associated Research Extension) COVID-19 RFP program by GILEAD Science, United States (Project 2020-8223).

Passive pre-exposure immunization by tixagevimab/cilgavimab in patients with hematological malignancy and COVID-19: matched-paired analysis in the EPICOVIDEHA registry.

Only few studies have analyzed the efficacy of tixagevimab/cilgavimab to prevent severe Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and related complications in hematologic malignancies (HM) patients. Here, we report cases of breakthrough COVID-19 after prophylactic tixagevimab/cilgavimab from the EPICOVIDEHA registry). We identified 47 patients that had received prophylaxis with tixagevimab/cilgavimab in the EPICOVIDEHA registry. Lymphoproliferative disorders (44/47, 93.6%) were the main underlying HM. SARS-CoV-2 strains were genotyped in 7 (14.9%) cases only, and all belonged to the omicron variant. Forty (85.1%) patients had received vaccinations prior to tixagevimab/cilgavimab, the majority of them with at least two doses. Eleven (23.4%) patients had a mild SARS-CoV-2 infection, 21 (44.7%) a moderate infection, while 8 (17.0%) had severe infection and 2 (4.3%) critical. Thirty-six (76.6%) patients were treated, either with monoclonal antibodies, antivirals, corticosteroids, or with combination schemes. Overall, 10 (21.3%) were admitted to a hospital. Among these, two (4.3%) were transferred to intensive care unit and one (2.1%) of them died. Our data seem to show that the use of tixagevimab/cilgavimab may lead to a COVID-19 severity reduction in HM patients; however, further studies should incorporate further HM patients to confirm the best drug administration strategies in immunocompromised patients.

European Delphi panel to build consensus on tapering and discontinuing thrombopoietin receptor agonists in immune thrombocytopenia.

To establish pan-European consensus on tapering and discontinuing thrombopoietin receptor agonists (TPO-RAs) in patients with immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), we applied a three-step Delphi technique consisting of a one-to-one interview round and two online survey rounds. Three healthcare professionals (HCPs) from Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom formed the Steering Committee (SC), which advised on study design, panelist selection, and survey development. A literature review also informed the development of the consensus statements. Likert scales were used to collect quantitative data on panelists' level of agreement. Twelve hematologists representing nine European countries assessed 121 statements spanning three categories: (1) patient selection; (2) tapering and discontinuation strategies; (3) post-discontinuation management. Consensus was reached on approximately half of the statements in each category (32.2%; 44.6%; 66%). Panelists agreed on patients' main selection criteria, patients' involvement in decision-making, tapering strategies, and follow-up criteria. Areas not reaching consensus were risk factors and predictors of successful discontinuation, monitoring intervals, and rates of successful discontinuation or relapse. This lack of consensus signals knowledge and practice gaps among European countries and suggests the need for the development of clinical practice guidelines that outline a pan-European, evidence-based approach to tapering and discontinuing TPO-RAs.

Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is a condition that may cause extensive bruising and excessive bleeding. Another sign is a pattern of small reddish-purple dots resembling a rash. ITP is treated with a class of medications known as thrombopoietin receptor agonists (TPO-RAs), which include eltrombopag, avatrombopag, and romiplostim. Sometimes the beneficial effects of the medication last even after the patient stops taking it, which means that some patients can be tapered off it. This paper presents the results of a Delphi panel­a method of research that gathers insights from experts­about tapering and discontinuing TPO-RAs. There were 12 physicians from nine European countries on the Delphi panel, all practicing hematologists with expertise in tapering and discontinuing TPO-RAs in patients with ITP. Panelists were presented with a total of 130 statements over three survey rounds. At the end of Round Three, 52 statements (40%) achieved consensus (response pattern of ≥80% "Agree"), and six statements (4.6%) achieved dissensus (response pattern of ≥80% "Disagree"). Consensus was achieved on the appropriateness of tapering the dose of the TPO-RA for two to three months prior to attempting discontinuation. The panel also reached consensus on considering tapering in a slower fashion (six to 12 months) for patients showing suboptimal response to TPO-RAs. More than half the survey's statements did not achieve consensus or dissensus. This signals that knowledge gaps exist and highlights the importance of conducting prospective, real-world evidence studies to identify best practices and develop pan-European guidelines for tapering and discontinuing TPO-RAs.

Autoimmune hemolytic anemia during pregnancy and puerperium: an international multicenter experience.

Relapsing or occurring de novo autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) during pregnancy or puerperium is a poorly described condition. Here, we report 45 pregnancies in 33 women evaluated at 12 centers from 1997 to 2022. Among the 20 women diagnosed with AIHA before pregnancy, 10 had a relapse. An additional 13 patients developed de novo AIHA during gestation/puerperium (2 patients had AIHA relapse during a second pregnancy). Among 24 hemolytic events, anemia was uniformly severe (median Hb, 6.4 g/dL; range, 3.1-8.7) and required treatment in all cases (96% steroids ± intravenous immunoglobulin, IVIG, 58% transfusions). Response was achieved in all patients and was complete in 65% of the cases. Antithrombotic prophylaxis was administered to 8 patients (33%). After delivery, rituximab was administered to 4 patients, and cyclosporine was added to 1 patient. The rate of maternal complications, including premature rupture of membranes, placental detachment, and preeclampsia, was 15%. Early miscarriages occurred in 13% of the pregnancies. Fetal adverse events (22% of cases) included respiratory distress, fetal growth restriction, preterm birth, AIHA of the newborn, and 2 perinatal deaths. In conclusion, the occurrence of AIHA does not preclude the ability to carry out a healthy pregnancy, provided close monitoring, prompt therapy, and awareness of potential maternal and fetal complications.

Recommendations on the Management of Patients with Immune Thrombocytopenia (ITP) in the Context of SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Vaccination: Consensus Guidelines from a Spanish ITP Expert Group.

Primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an acquired autoimmune disease with highly variable presentation, characteristics, and clinical course. Thrombocytopenia is a common complication of many viral infections, including SARS-CoV-2. In addition, both de novo ITP and exacerbation of ITP after vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 have been reported. Patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 develop a prothrombotic coagulopathy called COVID-19-associated coagulopathy (CAC). In addition, autoimmune hematological disorders secondary to SARS-CoV-2 infection, mainly ITP and autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA), have been described. Furthermore, SARS-CoV-2 infection has been associated with exacerbation of autoimmune processes, including ITP. In fact, there is evidence of a high relapse rate in patients with preexisting ITP and COVID-19. As for vaccination against SARS-CoV-2, hematological adverse events (HAE) are practically anecdotal. The most common HAE is thrombocytopenia-associated thrombosis syndrome (TTS) linked to vectored virus vaccines. Other HAEs are very rare, but should be considered in patients with previous complement activation disease or autoimmunity. In patients with ITP who are vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2, the main complication is exacerbation of ITP and the bleeding that may result. In fact, this complication occurs in 12% of patients, with splenectomized and refractory patients with more than five lines of previous treatment and platelet counts below 50 × 109/L being the most vulnerable. We conclude that, in general, there is no greater risk of severe SARS-CoV-2 infection in ITP patients than in the general population. Furthermore, no changes are advised in patients with stable ITP, the use of immunosuppressants is discouraged unless there is no other therapeutic option, and patients with ITP are not contraindicated for vaccination against COVID-19.