What is TMA and how does it affect the body?
What is TMA and how does it affect the body?
Over time, parts of the kidney may die from lack of blood flow. TMA also changes how a drop of your blood looks under a microscope. Normal blood has completely round red blood cells and plenty of tiny platelets. When you suffer from TMA your blood will have deformed red blood cells (called schistocytes) and no platelets. How did I get it?
Why join the TMA?
TMA is helping to strengthen your practice by offering advice and creating a climate of medical success across the state. What could a TMA membership mean for you, your practice, and your patients?
What does TMA look like under a microscope?
TMA causes changes in your kidney that can be seen under a microscope. The pictures below show blood vessels in the main filter of the kidney (called the glomerulus ). A healthy blood vessel appears as a circle with an open (white) center. Vessels affected by TMA will be filled with a pinkish material, which is clot.
What causes TMA (transient meningitis areata)?
Another major cause for TMA is atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS), a disorder caused by dysregulation of a part of the immune system known as complement. Approximately 50% of aHUS patients are found to have either a genetic mutation in the complement system or an auto-antibody that interferes with the regulation of complement.
What are thrombotic microangiopathies (TMA)?
What is it? Thrombotic microangiopathies (TMA) are clinical syndromes defined by the presence of hemolytic anemia (destruction of red blood cells), low platelets, and organ damage due to the formation of microscopic blood clots in capillaries and small arteries. The kidneys are commonly affected, although virtually any organ may be involved.
What are the treatment options for TMA?
For example, infectious causes of TMA might be treated with antibiotics and supportive care. At times, plasma exchange, immune suppression, and/or complement blocking therapies may be used to treat other causes of TMA. Individuals with severe kidney injury may require dialysis.
What is TMA testing at Cincinnati Children’s?
Cincinnati Children’s offers the broadest available platform of molecular and cellular diagnostic testing for thrombotic microangiopathies (TMA), including atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS), thrombotic thrombocytopenia purpura (TTP) and transplantation-associated thrombotic microangiopathy (TA-TMA).
