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Abstract Introduction: Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a thrombotic microangiopathy due to reduced activity of ADAMTS13 (a disintegrin and metalloprotease with thrombospondin type 1 motif, 13). This disorder can be due to a congenital deficiency state or be acquired (immune TTP (iTTP)) due to an antibody which either inhibits or causes clearance of ADAMTS13. The aim of our study was to determine whether ADAMTS13 inhibitor titer at initial presentation could serve as a predictor of refractory disease and relapse in iTTP. We also measured clinical outcomes across different gender and racial subgroups. Methods: The United States Thrombotic Microangiopathy (USTMA) iTTP registry was used to extract patient information for two academic institutions in Eastern North Carolina. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. The first iTTP episode recorded in the data base was used as the index episode. All patients included in the final analysis had an ADAMTS13 activity of <10%. An inhibitor level of 5 Bethesda units was arbitrarily chosen as the cutoff between low (<5) and high (>/5) inhibitor level. Response time was defined as the number of days of plasma exchange (PEX) required to achieve a platelet count of 150,000 for two consecutive days. Relapse was defined as occurrence of a new episode of iTTP 30 days after achievement of response. Refractory disease was defined as persistence of thrombocytopenia or absence of a sustained platelet count increment or platelet counts of < 50,000 despite 4-7 days of plasma exchanges and steroid treatment. Rituximab resistance was defined as lack of platelet recovery to more than 150,000 within 11 to 14 days of administration of the first dose of Rituximab. Results: A total of 161 patients with iTTP were identified. Ten patients had ADAMTS13 activity >10% and 15 patients did not have a reported inhibitor level. These subjects were not included in the final analysis. The cohort had 28% male (n =38/136) and 72% (n=98/136) female patients. There were more African American patients 73% (n=99/136) than Caucasians 24% (n=32/136). There were also 2 Hispanic, 1 Native American and 2 patients with unidentified race. Median ADAMTS3 inhibitor titer was 1.05 (Range 0-87). Forty three patients with ADAMTS13 activity <10 % had an inhibitor level of 0 (i.e undetectable).They were included in the low inhibitor group. Overall, 88% patients (n=120/136) had low inhibitor level and only 12% (n=16/136) had a high inhibitor. Thirteen percent females (n=13/98) and 8% (n=3/38) males had a high inhibitor level (p=0.387). Fourteen percent (n=14/99) African Americans and 6 % (n=2/32) Caucasians had a high inhibitor, p=0.23. In the low inhibitor group 30% (n=36/120) patients suffered at least one episode of relapse whereas 31% (n=5/16) had relapsed in the high inhibitor group. The median time to response was 6 days (range 1-76) in the low inhibitor group and 7 days (range 4-20) in the high inhibitor group (p=0.61). While looking at the various subgroups, median time to response for males was 6 days (range 4-21), females 6 days (range 1-76) , African Americans 6 days (range 3-29) , and Caucasians 6 days (range 1-76). The frequency of refractory disease was 31 % (n=5/16) in the high inhibitor group and 29% (n=34/119) in the low inhibitor group. At the time of enrollment in the registry, Rituximab was not a part of first line therapy. Only 26 out of 136 patients had received Rituximab. In the low inhibitor group 5 patients displayed Rituximab resistance whereas there were no patients in the high inhibitor group with Rituximab resistance. Conclusion: When evaluating patients presenting with iTTP in two centers in North Carolina, no correlation was found between a high inhibitor levels of >/ 5 Bethesda units and risk of relapse or refractory disease. A larger study is needed to evaluate this further. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Abstract Background: COVID-19 vaccinations in the United States (Janssen, Moderna, and Pfizer) have been deemed generally safe and effective. Rare thrombotic events, now termed vaccine-induced thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT), have been reported after the Janssen and Moderna vaccinations. With millions of vaccinations being administered to adults, it is expected that some deep vein thrombosis (DVT) will occur coincidentally with vaccination. Whether COVID-19 vaccinations may contribute to DVT risk more generally (outside of VITT) has not been well studied outside of the initial clinical trials. Aims: Evaluate trends in DVT diagnosis before and after COVID-19 vaccination Methods: Vaccinated patients ≥ 18 years between 11/6/2020 through 6/1/2021 were analyzed using electronic medical records across the Mayo Clinic enterprise. Upper and lower DVT venous Duplex ultrasound (DUS) reports occurring 90 days before and after vaccination date (first dose for Pfizer and Moderna vaccines) were extracted and analyzed with a highly accurate, previously validated, Natural Language Processing (NLP) algorithm for acute DVT. Results: 382,527 patients with at least 1 COVID-19 vaccination were identified. The median age was 61 (IQR 44-72) and 55.3% were male. Pfizer was the most common vaccine administered (n=245,572, 64.2%), followed by Moderna (n=120,683, 31.6%) and Janssen (n=16,272, 4.3%). Most patients (91.5%) receiving vaccinations were from states with Mayo Clinic health services (Minnesota, n=197,834; Wisconsin, n=80,720; Florida, n=42,391; Arizona, n=28,882). The mean age at vaccination was 61.0 (SD 17.7), 56.5 (SD 19.1), and 54.7 (SD 16.3) for Moderna, Pfizer, and Janssen vaccines respectively. Women were most likely to receive the Pfizer (56.3%) compared to Moderna (54.1%) and Janssen (49.5%) vaccines. Non-white patients were most likely to receive Janssen (21%) compared to Moderna (7.7%) and Pfizer (8.2%) vaccines. Among all patients, 7,265 upper and lower venous DUS were performed in 5,960 patients. Figure 1 shows the utilization of DUS before and after COVID-19 vaccination and shows that more patients underwent DUS in the 90 days after vaccination compared to 90 days pre-vaccination. Acute DVT was identified by the NLP algorithm in 808 (714 patients) ultrasounds (11.1%); 656 out of 6136 lower extremity DUS (10.7%) and 152 out of 1129 upper extremity DUS (13.5%). The overall rate of acute DVT (upper and lower) was 1.86 per 1000 patients, consistent with the expected background epidemiologic rate. Figure 2 shows the daily probability of acute DVT by ultrasound report in the 90 days before and after vaccination with a linear regression best fit line showing no overall correlation (R 2 = 0.0). Overall acute DVT post-vaccination occurred on 10.8% of DUS compared to 11.6% pre-vaccination (p=0.28). Among ultrasound reports in Janssen vaccinated patients, 7.0% of post-vaccination compared to 18.0% of pre-vaccination were positive for acute DVT (p=0.003). Among ultrasound reports in Moderna vaccinated patients, 11.0% of post-vaccination compared to 12.7% of pre-vaccination were positive for acute DVT (p=0.15). Among ultrasound reports in Pfizer vaccinated patients, 11.0% of post-vaccination compared to 10.4% of pre-vaccination were positive for acute DVT (p=0.56). Using a Cox proportional hazard model, pre vs post-vaccination time among the same patient cohort was compared for each vaccine. The hazard ratio for DVT post-vaccination was 0.68 (95% CI 0.34-1.38) for Janssen, 1.08 (95% CI 0.86-1.35) for Moderna, and 1.20 (95% CI 0.99-1.46) for Pfizer. After adjusting for age and sex, Pfizer and Janssen's vaccines did not have different risks for DVT compared to Moderna in the 90 days post-vaccination (HR 0.80, 95% CI 0.98-1.25 and HR 0.75, 95% CI 0.42-1.32 respectively). Conclusions: In this large cohort of COVID-19 vaccinated patients, no increased risk for acute DVT post-vaccination was identified for any of the approved vaccinations in the United States. Additionally, no significant difference was seen in the risk for DVT post-vaccination when comparing each vaccine to each other. The probability of acute DVT on ultrasounds in the 90 days post-vaccination was lower than the pre-vaccination period with the Janssen vaccine possibly indicating over-testing in this group. These results provide additional reassurance of the safety of approved COVID-19 vaccines. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Padmanabhan: Veralox Therapeutics: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Pruthi: HEMA Biologics: Honoraria; CSL Behring: Honoraria; Genentech: Honoraria; Instrumentation Laboratory: Honoraria; Bayer Healthcare AG: Honoraria; Merck: Honoraria.

Background Eculizumab, a monoclonal antibody targeting C5, is an effective treatment for complement-mediated thrombotic microangiopathy (CM-TMA), also known as atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome. Although lifelong therapy has been suggested, the optimal treatment schedule is unknown, while eculizumab discontinuation does not universally lead to relapse. Data evaluating risk factors associated with an increased risk of CM-TMA recurrence following eculizumab withdrawal are scarce. Prior to the eculizumab era, complement genetic studies have been used to assess morbidity and mortality in patients with CM-TMA. Our aim was to assess the impact of complement gene variants on CM-TMA relapse rate (RR) after eculizumab discontinuation. Methods Search protocols were developed for the Ovid and PubMed databases to identify existing reports on CM-TMA and eculizumab withdrawal published before February 1st 2020. Cases were cross-referenced to eliminate duplicates. Inclusion criteria included patients diagnosed with CM-TMA who had undergone eculizumab discontinuation. Reasons for exclusion were patients with no follow-up after eculizumab withdrawal and patients lacking complement gene testing. Patients undergoing eculizumab dose extension, but not discontinuation, were not included. Results Fifteen studies including 557 individuals were retrieved. Of these, 363 (65.2%) were excluded as outlined in Figure 1 and 194 cases were included in the final analysis with a global RR of 28.9% (n=56). Distribution based on gene impacted and variant type are presented in Table 1. RR was highest among patients with CFH variants (52.5% to 60%) -particularly if involving exon 22 or nonsense mutations-, MCP/CD46 variants (38.9% to 45%) -particularly if affecting splice regions-, and cases with multiple concomitant variants (57.1%) -particularly those including CFH or a CFH-CFHR1 Hybrid (Table 2). Patients with relapse were more likely to have the presence of a complement variant (p<0.001), history of previously resolved CM-TMA events (p=0.022), younger age (mean age 22.4 years for patients with relapse vs. 32.33 years for patients without relapse; p=0.002) and, within those with detected variants, multiple vs. single variants (p=0.002) and CFH-inclusive variants (p=0.003). On univariate analysis, complement gene variants (OR 4.217 95%CI 1.97-9.026; p<0.001), age <30 years (OR 2.346 95%CI 1.159-4.749; p=0.018), and presence of multiple variants (OR 2.06 95%CI 1.172-3.621; p=0.012) or CFH-inclusive variants (OR 3.111 95%CI 1.443-6.71; p=0.004) were associated with increased odds of CM-TMA relapse, while no prior history of additional CM-TMA events was the only factor associated with lower RR (OR 0.327 95%CI 0.123-0.87; p=0.025). Presence of complement variants (OR 4.48 95%CI 1.132-17.724; p=0.033) and CFH-inclusive variants (OR 3.045 95%CI 1.136-8.159; p=0.027) were independently associated with increased RR on multivariate analysis (Table 3). Conclusion Relapse after eculizumab discontinuation is rare in cases with no genetic variants identified but can increase to more than 80% in high-risk subgroups. Complement genetic testing is not required for CM-TMA diagnosis or for initiation of complement inhibiting therapy; however, our results demonstrate the value of complement genetic testing when stratifying risk of patients for consideration of eculizumab discontinuation. Disclosures Sridharan: Alexion: Honoraria.

AbstractIntroductionHemolysis, icterus, and lipemia (HIL) are common pre‐analytical variables in the clinical laboratory. Understanding their effects on coagulation laboratory results is essential.MethodsHIL effects on the prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), dilute Russell's viper venom time (DRVVT), thrombin time (TT), and protein C chromogenic activity (CFx) were evaluated on the ACL TOP 750 optical analyzer and STA‐R Evolution mechanical analyzer (PT and APTT only) by spiking normal donor, patient, and commercial control samples with varying concentrations of hemolysate, bilirubin, or a lipid emulsion. The relative difference or bias compared to the original results was determined.ResultsHemolysis (H) indices up to 900 mg/dL did not affect the APTT, PT, DRVVT Confirm, TT, and CFx; however, H indices above approximately 200 mg/dL resulted in a false‐negative DRVVT screen and screen/confirm ratio in samples with a lupus anticoagulant. There was an artifactual prolongation of the PT and APTT when conjugated bilirubin was dissolved in aqueous solvents and not when it was dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide. Icterus (I) indices up to 45 mg/dL did not result in significant (>15%) bias for all assays evaluated. The PT and APTT assays failed to produce a robust clot curve when the lipemia (L) index exceeded 6000 milliabsorbance units (mAbs), and the TT and DRVVT assays failed when the L index exceeded 3000 mAbs; the CFx assay was unaffected by lipemia.ConclusionsVerification of the manufacturer's recommended interference thresholds is important since it may avoid inappropriate instrument flagging and/ or sample rejection.

Abstract There is increasing evidence that novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) leads to a significant coagulopathy, a phenomenon termed “COVID-19 associated coagulopathy.” COVID-19 has been associated with increased rates of both venous and arterial thromboembolic events, a source of significant morbidity and mortality in this disease. Further evidence suggests a link between the inflammatory response and coagulopathy associated with COVID-19. This presents a unique set of challenges for diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of thrombotic complications. In this review, we summarize and discuss the current literature on laboratory coagulation disruptions associated with COVID-19 and the clinical effects of thromboembolic events including pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis, peripheral arterial thrombosis, and acute ischemic stroke in COVID-19. Endothelial injury and augmented innate immune response are implicated in the development of diffuse macro- and microvascular thrombosis in COVID-19. The pathophysiology of COVID-19 associated coagulopathy is an important determinant of appropriate treatment and monitoring of these complications. We highlight the importance of diagnosis and management of dysregulated coagulation in COVID-19 to improve outcomes in COVID-19 patients with thromboembolic complications.

Introduction: In patients with SARS-CoV-2 COVID-19 infection elevated D-dimers are associated with a poor prognosis. Although suggestive of DIC, the majority of patients do not fulfil ISTH criteria for DIC. Studies have demonstrated that when compared to D-dimer, fibrin monomers are more sensitive and specific when differentiating overt DIC from non-overt DIC. Our special coagulation laboratory (SCL) routinely measures soluble fibrin monomer complex (SFMC) as part of our DIC profile in samples with elevated D-dimers. Here we aimed to investigate the percentage of patients with COVID-19 infection with elevated SFMC as performed as part of the DIC profile. Methods: Between April 1st 2020 and July 26, 2020 inpatients at the Mayo Clinic Rochester, MN campus with COVID-19 infection who underwent DIC testing in SCL were identified through SCL database. Patients were excluded if SARS-CoV2 PCR results were not available in the Mayo Clinic electronic medical record (EMR). DIC profile components include prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), thrombin time (TT), fibrinogen and D-dimer. Reflex SFMC is performed if D-dimer is elevated. Data abstracted from EMR included results of laboratory tests, date of COVID-19 symptom onset, date of SARS-CoV2 PCR positivity, and death within 30 days of hospital admission. The ISTH DIC score was calculated and patients were labeled as overt DIC or non-overt DIC based off of ISTH DIC score ≥5. Results: 35 patients (19 female), median age 59 years (28-91) met our study criteria DIC profiles were obtained 6.5 (1-37) days after COVID-19 symptom onset (n=33) with 28 obtained within 14 days of symptom onset. Time to DIC profile from SARS-CoV2 PCR testing was 4 (0-37) days (n=35) with 31 having testing completed within 14 days of PCR positivity. 8 patients were intubated during hospitalization and of the remaining 27, 67% required supplemental oxygen. 21/35 (60%) patients had an elevated fibrinogen (526.5 mg/dL (201-800)) while 19/35 (54%) had a prolonged PT (12.8 seconds (10.1-99.6) and 5/35 (14%) had a prolonged APTT (31 seconds (24-68)). 17 patients with prolonged PT and 3 patients with prolonged APTT had factor activity assays performed (Figure 1A). 9/35 (25%) had thrombocytopenia (230 x 109/L (12-709) and 27/35 (77%) patients had an elevated D-dimer (895 ng/ml FEU (220- >100,000). D-dimer was higher in males than in females (p: 0.049). Of those with elevated D-dimer only 5/27 (18.5%) had an elevated SFMC (5 mcg/ml (5- >1100) (Figure 1B). 4/35 (11%) patients had ISTH DIC scores ≥ 5 and all had score of 5. All of these patients had D-dimer > 2000 ng/ml while only 2 had elevated SFMC however SFMC in both of these patients was < 15 mcg/ml. Of these, one patient with SFMC of 12 mcg/ml had known cirrhosis and the other with an SFMC of 11 mcg/ml had acute decompensation and associated shock liver. This patient also had venous thrombosis 3 days prior to DIC profile and died from complications related to COVID-19 infection. Of the two other patients with high ISTH score and normal SFMC, one had previous chronic thrombocytopenia of < 50 x109/L while the other had concomitant admission for acute and recurrent pancreatitis in the setting of alcoholism with acute intoxication. Six patients died within 30 days of admission and in 2/5 performed SFMC was elevated (Figure1C). Conclusion: Compared to 77% of patients with elevated D-dimers, of those tested only 18.5 % of patients had elevated SFMC. It has been hypothesized that the elevated D-dimer noted in COVID-19 pulmonary infection is a direct consequence of acute lung injury and not overt DIC. Although preliminary, the small percentage of patients with overt DIC by ISTH criteria and normal SFMC in the majority of the current cohort support this hypothesis; however studies in a larger more controlled cohort are needed to confirm these findings. Disclosures Sridharan: Alexion: Honoraria. Pruthi:Merck: Honoraria; Instrumentation Laboratory: Honoraria; HEMA Biologics: Honoraria; Bayer Healthcare: Honoraria; Genentech Inc.: Honoraria; CSL Behring: Honoraria.

AbstractTransplant‐associated thrombotic microangiopathy (TA‐TMA) has a wide range of presentations after hematopoietic stem‐cell transplantation (HSCT). We retrospectively studied the risk factors and outcomes of patients with early (≤day 100) and late (>day 100) TA‐TMA. Among the 1451 HSCT recipients, early TA‐TMA occurred in 45 (3.1%) patients at a median of 27 (3‐91) days, and late TA‐TMA in 39 (2.7%) patients at a median of 303 (122‐2595) days. Patients with early TA‐TMA were more likely to have high blood calcineurin‐inhibitor levels (P < .001) and acute graph‐vs‐host disease (GVHD, P < .001), while late TMA patients were more likely to have chronic GVHD (P < .001). The estimated median overall survival after onset of TMA for the entire cohort was 6 months. The estimated median overall survival was not reached in patients with an improvement of TMA vs 2 months in patients with no improvement (P < .001). In the early TMA group, older age (for every 10 years, HR 1.40; 95% CI 1.00‐1.94; P = .049) and bacterial infection (HR 2.42; 95% CI 0.98‐6.00; P = .056) were positively associated with mortality. Switching to MMF treatment (HR 0.40; 95% CI 0.16‐0.99; P = .047) and improvement of TMA (HR 0.08; 95% CI 0.03‐0.25; P < .001) were negatively associated with mortality in the multivariate analysis. In the late TMA group, the improvement of TMA was the only independent predictor associated with a lower risk of death (HR 0.05; 95% CI 0.02‐0.19; P < .001). Mortality rates in both early and late TMA remain unacceptably high. Future studies are needed for early diagnosis, trigger identifications, and use of targeted treatments.

Introduction The United States Thrombotic Microangiopathy (USTMA) Consortium consists of high-volume US referral centers that are committed to collaborative research in TMAs. The USTMA Immune Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (iTTP) registry has compiled retrospective data on demographics, treatments and outcomes in patients with iTTP to create the world's largest database of patients with this rare disease. While there is consensus on the use of therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) for treatment of iTTP, there are no large randomized trials on which to base use of rituximab. The drug is frequently used for refractory or relapsed iTTP, but is currently being used more frequently for de novo (first episode) iTTP. We queried the USTMA iTTP registry to determine whether relapse free survival (RFS) is superior when rituximab is added to TPE and corticosteroids for treatment of iTTP. We hypothesized that the addition of rituximab would improve RFS at 5 years in both de novo and relapsing iTTP. Methods Following IRB approval at each institution, investigators independently reviewed individual patient records to confirm diagnostic criteria and entered demographic, treatment and outcomes data into the REDCap database housed at the University of North Carolina. The diagnosis of iTTP was defined as ADAMTS13 &lt; 10% or ADAMTS13 &lt; 20% with an inhibitor or antibody detected at any point or a clinical diagnosis of iTTP based on presenting characteristics, response to treatment and/or relapsing phenotype before ADAMTS13 testing became available (N=173). Relapse was defined as a recurrence of iTTP after at least 30 days of remission (recurrence within 30 days was considered an exacerbation, or continuation of the prior episode). To explore the effect of rituximab added to TPE and corticosteroids, we first assessed the treatment effect in de novo iTTP patients and then separately in relapse. We constructed Kaplan-Meier curves to compare RFS for patients treated with rituximab plus corticosteroids versus corticosteroids alone in both groups, and compared RFS at specific time points using the Klein method. To better understand whether other patient variables had an effect on RFS in both de novo episodes and relapses, ordinary (time-to-event) and mixed-effects (recurrent time-to-event) Cox proportional hazards models were used to examine the relationships of treatment, race/ethnicity, sex, age, treatment year, and presenting signs/symptoms with the outcome. Analyses were conducted using R version 3.5.2 (R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria). Results As of July, 2019, the USTMA database contains 775 unique study patients with a confirmed diagnosis of iTTP with 1397 unique iTTP episodes. The treatment of patients' de novo iTTP episode was available for analysis in 375 patients, 188 of whom were treated with corticosteroids alone, 131 with corticosteroids plus rituximab, and 56 with other therapies. RFS was significantly higher in patients treated with corticosteroids and rituximab compared to those treated with corticosteroids alone at 1 year (0.93 vs. 0.78, p=0.0002) and 3 years (0.82 vs. 0.66, p=0.004) but not 5 years (0.60 vs. 0.56, p=0.39). In addition, the risk of relapse decreased with later treatment year for de novo iTTP (hazard ratio (HR) 0.95, 95% CI 0.92-0.99, p=0.03), consistent with rituximab use increasing over time, and was increased in African Americans compared with Caucasians (HR 1.83, 1.10-3.06, p=0.02). We then explored the treatment effect in all iTTP relapses (743 relapses in 426 patients). Here, a significant (p=0.0007) interaction between treatment and race was found. Among African Americans, we found no difference in RFS when rituximab was added (HR 1.15, 0.81-1.62, p=0.43). However, among Caucasians, RFS was significantly improved when rituximab was added (HR 0.15, 0.06-0.35, p&lt;0.0001). Conclusions For de novo iTTP, adding rituximab to corticosteroids for immunosuppression likely delays but does not prevent relapse. Unlike in de novo disease, in patients with relapsed iTTP, we found a novel and significant interaction between race and treatment: while Caucasians had significantly improved RFS with the addition of rituximab, there was no effect on RFS in African Americans. Further investigation is warranted to determine the mechanisms of this difference in the response to rituximab in relapsed iTTP to improve outcomes in African Americans. Figure Disclosures Marshall: Sanofi: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Farland:Sanofi: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Metjian:Sanofi: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Raval:Bayer, Inc: Research Funding; Sanofi: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Liles:Imara: Other: PI on Clinical trial- Sickle cell ; Shire: Other: PI on clinical trial Sickle cell ; Novartis: Other: PI on clinical trial Sickle cell . Baumann Kreuziger:CSL Behring: Consultancy; Vaccine Injury Compensation Program: Consultancy. McCrae:Rigel Pharmaceutical: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Sanofi Pharmaceuticals: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Dova Pharmaceuticals: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Pfizer Pharmaceutical: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Chaturvedi:Shire/Takeda: Research Funding; Sanofi: Consultancy; Alexion: Consultancy. Zheng:Clotsolution: Other: Co-Founder; Shire/Takeda: Research Funding; Ablynx/Sanofi: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Alexion: Speakers Bureau. Cataland:Ablynx/Sanofi: Consultancy, Research Funding; Alexion: Consultancy, Research Funding. Off Label Disclosure: rituximab for immunosuppression in TTP.

Background: Immune thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (iTTP) is a potentially fatal hematologic disorder characterized by thrombocytopenia, microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, and ischemic organ impairment. The incidence of iTTP is higher among African-Americans (AA), however, differences in presentation and outcomes have not been fully investigated. In a multi-center cohort of patients with iTTP from the United States Thrombotic Microangiopathy (USTMA) Consortium, we tested the hypothesis that AA race is an independent predictor of poor outcomes including iTTP related mortality and relapse. Methods: We queried data from the USTMA iTTP registry, which currently includes data from 785 individual patients from 15 institutions across the United States. Data from at least one iTTP episode are available for 734 patients. The cohort is 35.1% (N = 272) White, 58.7% (N = 455) African American, 0.4% (N=3) Asian, 1.8% (N=14) Hispanic, and 4.0 % (N=31) other/unknown race. We restricted our analyses to AA and White participants because of small numbers in the other groups. We compared presenting features and treatments using the chi-squared test and t-test for categorical and continuous variables, respectively. A relapse was defined as a recurrent iTTP episode occurring at least 30 days after last therapeutic plasma exchange. To evaluate relapse-free survival, we included only patients enrolled in the registry at their first TTP episode (144 White and 246 AA) since patients presenting with a relapse as their index episode are already confirmed to have relapsing iTTP. Kaplan Meier analysis was used to compare relapse-free survival in White and AA patients, and a Cox regression model was developed to evaluate the independent effect of race on relapse, adjusting for potential confounders including age, sex, and the use of rituximab. Results: Demographics and presenting features of 390 individuals (144 White and 246 AA) presenting with a first episode of iTTP are shown in Table 1. Presenting symptoms including fever, confusion, seizure, memory deficits, stupor, headache, stroke, chest pain, abdominal pain, fatigue, and dark urine were similar between Whites and AA except for petechiae, which were more frequently documented in Whites (28.8% vs 17.7%, p=0.011). Presenting laboratory studies were also comparable though AA had a higher rate of elevated serum troponin (50.6% vs 32.5%, p=0.003), lower hemoglobin level (8.27 ± 0.13 vs 8.81 ± 0.19, p=0.0176) and platelet count (20.3 ± 1.2 vs 26.2 ± 3.2, p=0.0432). In addition to therapeutic plasma exchange and corticosteroids, rituximab was administered to 23.7% of White patients and 22.7% of AA during their first iTTP episode (P=0.815). Median time to platelet count recovery (days of daily plasma exchange until normal platelet count for two consecutive days) was shorter in AA compared with White patients [5 (IQR 4, 10) vs. 8 (IQR 5, 14), log rank P = 0.004]. AA race remained a significant predictor of the shorter time to platelet count recovery [HR 1.44 (95% CI 1.12, 1.85), P=0.004] after adjusting for rituximab therapy [HR 0.60 (95% CI 0.0.46, 0.80), P<0.001], female sex [HR 0.95 (95% CI 0.73, 1.22), P=0.669], age [HR 0.99 (95% CI 0.99, 1.01), P=0.682], platelet count [HR 1.00 (95% CI 0.99, 1.04), P=0.820] and LDH at presentation [HR 1.00 (95% CI 1.00, 1.00), P=0.525]. Death during the first episode occurred in 8.9% of White patients and 5.5% of AA patients (P=0.206). Relapse-free survival after the first episode of iTTP was lower in AA than White patients (Figure 1). AA race was associated with the reduced relapse free survival [HR 1.79 (95% CI 1.08, 2.98), P=0.024] in a Cox regression model adjusted for age [HR 1.00 (95% CI 0.98, 1.01), P=0.683], sex [HR 0.96 (95% CI 0.60, 1.54), P=0.867], and rituximab therapy [HR 0.93 (95% CI 0.55, 1.59), P=0.806]. Conclusion: African Americans with iTTP have a higher relapse rate and shorter relapse free survival after the first episode of the disease compared with Caucasian patients, which is independent of age, sex and rituximab therapy. Contrary to our hypothesis, acute outcomes of iTTP (time to platelet count recovery and mortality) were not worse in AA patients. The factors contributing to the higher relapse rate in AA with iTTP need to be further investigated. Our findings suggest that AA patients may also benefit from closer follow up. Disclosures Farland: Sanofi: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Metjian:Sanofi: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Raval:Bayer, Inc: Research Funding; Sanofi: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Liles:Shire: Other: PI on clinical trial Sickle cell ; Imara: Other: PI on Clinical trial- Sickle cell ; Novartis: Other: PI on clinical trial Sickle cell . Baumann Kreuziger:CSL Behring: Consultancy; Vaccine Injury Compensation Program: Consultancy. McCrae:Dova Pharmaceuticals: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Pfizer Pharmaceutical: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Rigel Pharmaceutical: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Sanofi Pharmaceuticals: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Zheng:Alexion: Speakers Bureau; Ablynx/Sanofi: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Clotsolution: Other: Co-Founder; Shire/Takeda: Research Funding. Cataland:Alexion: Consultancy, Research Funding; Ablynx/Sanofi: Consultancy, Research Funding. Chaturvedi:Shire/Takeda: Research Funding; Sanofi: Consultancy; Alexion: Consultancy.