Systematic Review of Individual Patient Data COVID-19 Infection and Vaccination-Associated Thrombotic Microangiopathy.

Introduction: Sporadic cases of atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) have been described in the literature in association with COVID-19 infection and vaccination in adults and pediatric patients. The exact mechanisms underlying COVID-19-associated thrombotic microangiopathies (TMAs) remain incompletely understood. Herein, we present a detailed meta-analysis of the clinical characteristics, outcomes, and management strategies of COVID-19-associated aHUS and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP).
Methods: This study was performed following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses updated guidelines. PubMed was utilized for searching for case reports and series. Adverse outcome at last follow-up was defined as estimated glomerular filtration rate < 30 ml/min per 1.73 m ² (patients with aHUS), no remission with therapy, or patient death. Data were analyzed using Wilcoxon rank and Chi-square tests.
Results: Our analysis cohort included 118 studies reporting on 170 patients. These included 84 cases of aHUS and 86 cases of TTP resulting from COVID-19 infection ( n  = 92) or vaccination ( n  = 78). Significantly more cases of aHUS were reported after infection ( n  = 65) than immunization ( n  = 19), compared to TTP, where the reverse was true ( n  = 27 and n  = 59, respectively; P  < 0.001). In patients with aHUS with stage 3 acute kidney injury (AKI), requirement of kidney replacement therapy (KRT) was seen in three-fourths of the cohort for a median of 15. In patients with TTP, severe COVID-19 infection ( P  = 0.04) predicted nonremission or death at last follow-up. Administration of i.v., rituximab and caplacizumab were protective ( P  = 0.03 and P  = 0.06, respectively). Immune TTP (iTTP) was reported more often than HUS following mRNA vaccines (81% vs. 58%; P  = 0.06).
Conclusion: COVID-19 infection and vaccination are a potential trigger for onset or relapse of aHUS and TTP, especially in patients who are not on maintenance complement inhibitors or immunosuppression.
(© 2024 Published by Elsevier, Inc., on behalf of the International Society of Nephrology.)