High Incidence of Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura Exacerbation Rate Among Patients With Morbid Obesity and Drug Abuse

This study aims to identify the baseline patient characteristics, clinical presentation, and response to treatment of 11 patients who were diagnosed with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) between 2014 and 2020 at Brookdale University Hospital Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY. Laboratory and clinical parameters were recorded for 29 patients who received plasmapheresis in this time period. Of 29 patients, 11 had confirmed TTP and one was diagnosed with hereditary TTP. Young, black, and female patients made up the majority of our patient population. A high prevalence of obesity and drug abuse were seen among our patients. Five out of 11 were obese and four of them were morbidly obese; six out of 11 patients were positive for the drug screen including cannabinoids (3), opiates (2), benzodiazepines (1), PCP (1), and methadone (1). Four patients with a positive drug screen had acute kidney injury (AKI), and plasmapheresis helped them enhance their kidney function. We observed a high incidence of AKI and high TTP exacerbation rates in patients who were drug abusers and those who were morbidly obese. There is a paucity of data on the relationship of TTP with obesityor drug abuse and this needs further study.