Open AccessRituximab Twice Weekly for Refractory Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura in a Critically Ill Patient with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome
Author(s) -
Azrieh Bahjat,
Alsaud Arwa,
Obeidat Khaldun,
Ashour Amr,
Elebbi Seham,
Mohamed Shehab F.,
Abdelaty Mohamed Adel,
Akkari Abdelraouf,
Elbuzidi Abdurrahman Ali,
Yassin Mohamed A.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
case reports in oncology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.365
H-Index - 19
ISSN - 1662-6575
DOI - 10.1159/000505236
Subject(s) - case report
Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a rare, serious, life-threatening disease characterized by microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, and hypercoagulability. The etiology is a deficiency of ADAMTS13 which is usually caused by acquired antibodies. Plasma exchange and steroids is the standard of care in the treatment of TTP. However, there are refractory cases of TTP which require further management. Rituximab appears to be a safe and effective therapy for refractory and relapsing TTP. Here we report a challenging case of TTP that responded to treatment with rituximab twice weekly. According to our knowledge, rituximab twice weekly has never been used for TTP before.