Cerebral Infarction in Immune Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura Is Associated with Old Age, Hypertension, Smoking, and Anti-ADAMTS13 Ig, But Not with Mortality

Background Neurological involvement is common in patients with immune thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (iTTP), but the frequency, risk factors, and outcomes of these with imaging-confirmed stroke in iTTP are not known. Methods We selected 66 out of 109 iTTP patients with neurological signs and symptoms and reviewed their CT/MRI (computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging) findings for the evidence of stroke and other clinical information in Alabama TTP Registry. Results Of these, 52 (78.8%) had their CT/MRI done on admission in whom 22 (42.3%) were positive for multiple acute or chronic infarcts. The patients with image-confirmed ischemic stroke were older, and appeared to be associated with a history of hypertension and smoking. Additionally, patients with imaging-confirmed stroke showed higher plasma concentrations of anti-ADAMTS13 IgG than those without stroke. More interestingly, there was no statistically significant difference in the rate of exacerbation and 60-day mortality between those with and without stroke. Conclusion Ischemic cerebral infarcts are common findings in brain imaging studies of patients with acute iTTP; old age, chronic hypertension, and smoking, as well as high plasma concentrations of anti-ADAMTS13 IgG may be the potential risk factors for cerebral infarction in these patients. The presence of image-confirmed ischemic stroke, however, does not predict exacerbation and 60-day mortality, although the long-term effect of such ischemic brain damage on cognitive function and quality of life remains to be determined.