COVID-19 Infection in Patients with Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria in Italy

COVID-19 pandemic has raised several concerns regarding patients with hematologic and immune-mediated diseases. It can be assumed that Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), both classic hemolytic and associated with aplastic anemia, particularly on treatment with complement inhibitors, may be more susceptible and have higher morbidity and mortality rates from COVID-19 than the general population. Italy has been heavily affected from the COVID-19 outbreak with the peak of contagions at the end of March 2020. As of July, 23 2020 the cumulative incidence of COVID-19 in Italy was 0.4% (1 case every 246 residents) (ranging from 0.06% - 1/1621- in Calabria to 0.9% - 1/106 - in Lombardy). We conducted a survey on 126 patients with PNH (77 females/49 males, median age 48 years, range 19-86) among 7 reference Italian centers in order to evaluate the occurrence and clinical characteristics of COVID-19 infection from the outbreak until the time of writing. According to International PNH Interest Group (IPIG) classification, 95 patients suffered from classic hemolytic PNH, 24 had associated bone marrow failures (aplastic anemia or myelodysplastic syndrome), and 7 had subclinical PNH (clone size Disclosures Barcellini: Agios: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Alexion: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: invited speaker , Research Funding; Novartis: Honoraria, Other: invited speaker , Research Funding; Bioverativ: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Incyte: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Bianchi: Agios Pharmaceuticals: Other: Scientific Advisor. Notaro: Biocryst: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Alexion Pharmaceuticals: Honoraria.