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What is TTP? A rare, life-threatening medical emergency

Early diagnosis and treatment of Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) can help prevent the high risk of early deaths.

TTP is an extremely rare and potentially fatal thrombotic microangiopathy manifested by the presence of microvascular occlusions and subsequent thrombocytopenia, hemolytic anemia, and organ ischemia. It has a reported annual incidence of 4 to 5 cases per million in the US. TTP primarily affects young, healthy adults, with a median age of 40 years.1,2

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Purpura:
spots of variable size on the skin or in the mucous membranes, due to small hemorrhages; they can be dark red and as small as a pinhead (petechiae) or purplish and 2 to 3 cm in diameter (ecchymosis).

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Thrombocytopenic:
a lower-than-normal platelet count (below 30x10^9/L) due to the consumption of platelets during microthrombi formation, which causes occlusion of microvasculature.

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Thrombotic:
characterized by the formation of microthrombi (blood clots) within a blood vessel, which clog the vessel.

Types of TTP

aTTP can be divided according to whether there is a confirmed triggering cause of not. However, all causes require immediate treatment.6

Without treatment, the fatal outcome of TTP is rapid, with a mortality rate of 90%7-9

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Signs and symptoms of aTTP include7-10

These symptoms, along with the rarity of TTP, may cause confusion with other thrombotic microangiopathies (TMA), making the diagnosis of TTP challenging.1,11,12

Références

MAT-BE-2401121 - 1.0 - 12/2024