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. 2020 Jul 1;12(1):e2020046.
doi: 10.4084/MJHID.2020.046. eCollection 2020.

Preliminary Data on COVID-19 in Patients with Hemoglobinopathies: A Multicentre ICET-A Study

Vincenzo de Sanctis  1 , Duran Canatan  2 , Joan Lluis Vives Corrons  3 , Mehran Karimi  4 , Shahina Daar  5 , Christos Kattamis  6 , Ashraf T Soliman  7 , Yasser Wali  8 , Salam Alkindi  5 , Valeh Huseynov  9 , Afag Nasibova  9 , Tarık Onur Tiryaki  10 , Melike Sezgin Evim  11 , Adalet Meral Gunes  11 , Zeynep Karakas  12 , Soteroula Christou  13 , Saveria Campisi  14 , Tahereh Zarei  4 , Doaa Khater  15 , Yesim Oymak  16 , Valeriya Kaleva  17 , Denka Stoyanova  18 , Atanas Banchev  18 , Maria Concetta Galati  19 , Mohamed A Yassin  20 , Shruti Kakar  21 , Myrto Skafida  6 , Yurdanur Kilinc  22 , Saif Alyaarubi  23 , Narmin Verdiyevas  9 , Iva Stoeva  24 , Giuseppe Raiola  25 , Demetris Mariannis  26 , Leopoldo Ruggiero  27 , Salvatore Di Maio  28
Affiliations

Preliminary Data on COVID-19 in Patients with Hemoglobinopathies: A Multicentre ICET-A Study

Vincenzo de Sanctis et al. Mediterr J Hematol Infect Dis. .

Abstract

Objectives: This study aims to investigate, retrospectively, the epidemiological and clinical characteristics, laboratory results, radiologic findings, and outcomes of COVID-19 in patients with transfusion-dependent β thalassemia major (TM), β-thalassemia intermedia (TI) and sickle cell disease (SCD).

Design: A total of 17 Centers, from 10 countries, following 9,499 patients with hemoglobinopathies, participated in the survey.

Main outcome data: Clinical, laboratory, and radiologic findings and outcomes of patients with COVID-19 were collected from medical records and summarized.

Results: A total of 13 patients, 7 with TM, 3 with TI, and 3 with SCD, with confirmed COVID-19, were identified in 6 Centers from different countries. The overall mean age of patients was 33.7±12.3 years (range:13-66); 9/13 (69.2%) patients were females. Six patients had pneumonia, and 4 needed oxygen therapy. Increased C-reactive protein (6/10), high serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH; 6/10), and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR; 6/10) were the most common laboratory findings. 6/10 patients had an exacerbation of anemia (2 with SCD). In the majority of patients, the course of COVID-19 was moderate (6/10) and severe in 3/10 patients. A 30-year-old female with TM, developed a critical SARS-CoV-2 infection, followed by death in an Intensive Care Unit. In one Center (Oman), the majority of suspected cases were observed in patients with SCD between the age of 21 and 40 years. A rapid clinical improvement of tachypnea/dyspnea and oxygen saturation was observed, after red blood cell exchange transfusion, in a young girl with SCD and worsening of anemia (Hb level from 9.2 g/dl to 6.1g/dl).

Conclusions: The data presented in this survey permit an early assessment of the clinical characteristics of COVID 19 in different countries. 70% of symptomatic patients with COVID- 19 required hospitalization. The presence of associated co-morbidities can aggravate the severity of COVID- 19, leading to a poorer prognosis irrespective of age.

Keywords: COVID-19; Clinical course; Patients’ characteristics; Risk factors; SARS-CoV-2; Sickle cell disease; β-thalassemia.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: The authors declare no conflict of Interest.

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