Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a rare and challenging diagnosis that consists of thrombotic microangiopathy due to complete or severe deficiency of ADAMTS13 protease that can present at any age. It is very important to have a suspicion concerning this disease as mortality can be very high if it goes unnoticed. This case describes a patient that presented with gastrointestinal symptoms and hematuria and was found to have COVID-19 and TTP. We present a case of a 40-year-old female with no past medical history who presented to the Emergency Department with complaints of abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and dark urine. The patient workup revealed a platelet count of 4000. The patient was also noted to be COVID-19 positive. Upon further workup, the TTP diagnosis was confirmed. She responded appropriately to plasmapheresis and steroids. COVID-19 seems to be linked to a wide range of hematologic conditions including but not limited to TTP. In view that TTP can have significant mortality if untreated, we must be suspicious about this condition in COVID-19 cases. The aim of this case report is to highlight the importance of having a low threshold for making a diagnosis of TTP if labs are significant for hemolytic anemia. Our aim is also to emphasize that the treatment should be initiated if schistocytes are seen on the peripheral smear without awaiting laboratory results confirming low levels of ADAMTS13, given the fatal nature of the condition if left untreated.
Keywords: covid-19; hemolysis; plasmapheresis; schistocytes; thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura.
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