ASH 2021 | COVID-19 patterns in patients with MPNs in the first versus second waves

Tiziano Barbui, MD, Bergamo Hospital Research Foundation, Bergamo, Italy, talks on the latest findings from MPN-COVID, a European LeukemiaNet cohort study in patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) and COVID-19. A recent analysis investigated COVID-19 cases diagnosed in the first wave compared to the second wave in this patient population. To date, information from around 500 patients has been collected, approximately 300 of which were diagnosed during the second wave. It was shown that patients with MPNs with COVID-19 in the second wave were significantly different from those in the first wave, including age, sex, and MPN category. Less severe disease was seen in the second wave, with hospitalization rates, the need for respiratory support, and the degree of systemic inflammation recorded all substantially reduced compared to the first wave. Mortality, occurring most frequently in patients with myelofibrosis, was significantly reduced in the second wave. A greater rate of venous thrombosis was recorded in patients with essential thrombocythemia. This interview took place at the 63rd ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition congress in Atlanta, GA.