Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Patients with Immune Thrombocytopaenia

Román, María-Teresa Álvarez; Jiménez Yuste, Víctor; García Barcenilla, Sara; Ramírez López, Andrés; Monzón Manzano, Elena; de la Cruz Benito, Beatriz; Butta, Paula Acuña; Rivas Pollmar, María Isabel; Trelles Martínez, Roberto; González Zorrilla, Elena; Martín Salces, Mónica; Cebanu, Tamara; Butta, Nora V.

Background and Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the lives of patients with immune thrombocytopaenia (ITP) treated at our hospital. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in the Community of Madrid, which has the highest number of COVID-19 cases in Spain. We included 143 adult patients with ITP (130 with chronic ITP, 8 with persistent ITP, and 5 with newly diagnosed ITP). We conducted a telephone survey to collect the data and created a registry. Materials and Methods: Overall, 24 patients presented symptoms suggestive of COVID-19, which was confirmed by RT-PCR in 8 cases. The cumulative incidence of confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection was higher in the patients with ITP than in the Madrid population. There were no differences in the disease incidence or clinical course of infection in the patients treated with immunosuppressants. Almost all of the patients reported adherence to the prescribed treatment, although 49.2% of the hospital visits were either cancelled or postponed, 17.2% because of the patients’ fear of coming to the centre. Nearly half of the cohort was considered vulnerable, and 17% had been granted a dependency or disability benefit. Conclusions: COVID-19 had a major impact on the psychosocial, occupational, and quality of care of patients with ITP.