Variants of system and organ damage in patients with various thrombotic microangiopathy subtypes in obstetric practice

Abstract

Introduction. All thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) variants in obstetric practice have a diverse clinical presentation and can manifest as various system and organ damage, which often makes it difficult or interfere with the diagnostic assessment, thus slowing down initiation of the necessary therapy.Aim. To study the clinical presentations of various TMA variants in obstetric practice.Materials and methods. A total of 313 pregnant women were enrolled in the study, of which atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) was diagnosed in 71 women, “HELLP syndrome” in 124 women, and “PE” with varied severity in 70 women. A group of patients with more rare causes of TMA was also identified: TTP and sepsis in 13 patients, and 35 patients without signs of TMA were included in the control group. We assessed and compared the main clinical, laboratory and instrumental findings.Results. The study identified damage to various systems and organs in various TMA types in obstetric practice. The damage to kidneys, liver, nervous system, visual organs was observed in patients with aHUS, HELLP syndrome, TTP, septic TMA and PE, while the damage to skin, cardiovascular system and lungs was detected in patients from all groups except for PE. Small and large vessel thrombotic complications were detected in patients from the former three groups. The patients with aHUS showed the maximum multisystemic presentation severity.Conclusions. The thrombotic microangiopathy in obstetrics is generalized in nature, and various symptoms of organ dysfunction require a multidisciplinary approach to such patients.