Persistent Relapsing Immune Thrombocytopenia Following COVID-19 Infection

Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is a rare autoimmune disease that presents along a spectrum of disease severity, ranging from asymptomatic thrombocytopenia to potentially life-threatening bleeding complications. Recent case reports and case series suggest that a COVID-19 infection can trigger secondary ITP and may be associated with higher rates of bleeding and lower nadir platelet counts compared to patients with ITP of other etiologies. Multiple ITP relapses have also been described in some COVID-19 patients. We report the case of a 30-year-old otherwise healthy woman who presented to the hospital with fatigue, easy bruising, and a platelet count of 11 x 10/µL. She responded well to our initial treatment with prednisone and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) but experienced a persistent disease course with nine ITP relapses (defined as platelet count <30 x 10/µL) over the next 10.5 months, requiring six additional hospital admissions for acute management as well as long-term maintenance medication adjustments. It is important for clinicians to recognize ITP as a potential complication of a COVID-19 infection and to initiate early therapy to prevent serious bleeding in these patients. Further studies will be needed to understand the natural history, optimal treatment, and prognosis for patients with relapsing COVID-19-associated ITP.