title: [Pathophysiology of thrombotic microangiopathies: current understanding].
abstract: Thrombotic microangiopathies (TMA) encompass various severe diseases characterized by microangiopathic hemolytic anemia and peripheral thrombocytopenia, associated with fever, neurological signs and renal involvement. Microvascular thrombosis is the typical lesion, and results in tissue ischemia. Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) are the two most classical forms. These two entities are clinically and histopathologically closely related. There is a body of evidence suggesting that endothelial cell injury is the initial event in TTP and HUS, and that it may be related to a large number of triggering factors, such as infection, connective tissue disease, drugs, cancer and chemotherapy, transplantation, and pregnancy. Endothelial cell injury enhances the release of ultra large forms of von Willebrand factor (ULvWF) multimers and other prothrombotic agents, such as plasminogen activator inhibitor and platelet activating factor, whereas it decreases the release of prostaglandin-I2, a strong inhibitor of platelet aggregation. Recently however, it has been shown that TTP and HUS were pathophysiologically distinct. Actually, TTP is associated with a deficiency in von Willebrand factor-cleaving protease, an enzyme involved in cleavage of ULvWF into circulating 200 kDa and 350 kDa fragments. This deficiency may be either congenital or acquired, and then related to an IgG inhibitory autoantibody. This protease deficiency may account for the high amounts of plasmatic ULvWF in TTP patients. In HUS, vWF-cleaving protease activity is found normal. HUS encompasses two distinct entities. Epidemic, or diarrhea-associated HUS, is associated with verotoxin or Shiga toxin-associated enterobacteriaceae. These toxins are directly responsible for endothelial cell injury. Sporadic HUS (also termed atypical HUS in children) is closely related to TTP, and shares the same triggering factors. Familial HUS has been associated in some cases with hypocomplementemia and factor H dysfunction, the pathophysiological role of which remains unclear. The study of the different triggering factors and predisposing factors may be useful to define different subsets of TMA, that may be characterized by their course and prognosis.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Hématopoïèse et Cellules souches (U362), Institut Gustave-Roussy, 39, rue Camille-Desmoulins, 94805 Villejuif. paulcoppo@aol.com
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Coppo
authors.forename: Agnès
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Veyradier
authors.forename: Marie-Agnès
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Durey
authors.forename: Véronique
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Fremeaux-Bacchi
authors.forename: Marie-Lorraine
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Scrobohaci
authors.forename: Françoise
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Amesland
authors.forename: Annette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bussel
mesh_terms: D051722:ADAM Proteins; D000071120:ADAMTS13 Protein; D015551:Autoimmunity; D017242:Complement Factor H / Q000172:deficiency; D006463:Hemolytic-Uremic Syndrome / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008666:Metalloendopeptidases / Q000172:deficiency*; D008833:Microcirculation; D010974:Platelet Aggregation; D011697:Purpura, Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D014841:von Willebrand Factor / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: C493495:CFH protein, human; D014841:von Willebrand Factor; D017242:Complement Factor H; D051722:ADAM Proteins; D008666:Metalloendopeptidases; D000071120:ADAMTS13 Protein; C099604:ADAMTS13 protein, human