Common themes and challenges in hemophilia care: a multinational perspective

Multidisciplinary Team Care of Patients with Hemophilic Arthropathy: A Qualitative Assessment of Contemporary Practice in the UK and Canada

We used a structured interview to explore approaches to comprehensive hemophilia and arthropathy care among 24 healthcare professionals (HCPs) from multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) in Canada and the UK. Represented MDTs typically comprise a hematologist, nurse, physiotherapist, and sometimes an orthopedic surgeon; pediatric (and some adult) MDTs also include a social worker/psychologist. HCPs emphasized the centrality of a team approach, facilitated through MDT meetings and involvement of all MDT members in patient care. In both countries, nurses and physiotherapists play critical, multifaceted roles. Respondents agreed that MDTs are crucial for successful transitioning, which can be facilitated by close collaboration between pediatric and adult MDTs, even when they are not co-located. Physiotherapists are instrumental in providing non-pharmacological pain relief. Hematologists or physiotherapists typically make orthopedic referrals, with the nurse, physiotherapist and hematologist working together in patient preparation for (and follow-up after) surgery. MDT best practices include a non-hierarchical team approach, ensuring that all MDT members know all patients, and regular MDT meetings. Together, these real-life insights from the MDT perspective emphasize the value of the MDT approach in comprehensive hemophilia care.

Investigating the Added Value of the EQ-5D-5L With Two Bolt-On Items in Patients With Hemophilia

Objective: This study examined the impact of adding two condition-specific bolt-on items to the EQ-5D-5L and assessed their psychometric properties in patients with hemophilia.

Methods: The data were obtained from a nationwide cross-sectional online survey of patients with hemophilia in China. Self-reported and proxy-reported data were analyzed separately. Ceiling effect, informativity, and discriminatory power of the EQ-5D-5L with two bolt-on items, dignity (DG), and bleeding (BL), were examined. Spearman's rank correlation (rho) was used to assess the associations of the EQ-5D-5L and two bolt-on items with the Hemophilia Quality of Life Questionnaire for Adults (Haem-A-QoL) and SF-12. Multiple regression analysis was performed to evaluate the explained variance of the EQ-5D-5L and bolt-on items in predicting EQ-VAS scores.

Results: A total of 895 patients and 222 caregivers completed the questionnaire. The ceiling effect decreased from 1.9 to 0.6% and 5.9 to 0.9% when using the EQ-5D-5L and the EQ-5D-5L with two bolt-on items among participants with both self- and proxy-completed questionnaires. Both DG and BL were strongly correlated with Haem-A-QoL sum score [rho: DG = 0.64 (patient) vs. 0.66(proxy); BL = 0.49 (patient) vs. 0.31 (proxy)], SF-12 mental component [rho: DG = −0.36 (patient) vs. −0.41 (proxy); BL = −0.53 (patient) vs. −0.57(proxy)], and SF-12 physical component [rho: DG = −0.61 (patient) vs. −0.61 (proxy); BL = −0.35 (patient) vs. −0.39 (proxy)]. Known-group comparisons confirmed that the two bolt-on items had satisfactory discriminatory power. Multiple regression analysis indicated that adding two bolt-on items significantly increased the ability to predict EQ-VAS scores. The adjusted R² increased by 8.2 and 8.8% for reports completed by the patients or patients' proxy respondents, respectively.

Conclusion: Adding the DG and BL bolt-on items can increase performance on the EQ-5D-5L in patients with hemophilia. A future valuation study will be carried out.

Factor VIII replacement prophylaxis in patients with hemophilia A transitioning to adults: a systematic literature review

BACKGROUND

Despite the advantages of prophylactic treatment for hemophilia, patients tend to discontinue or not adhere to it because of several challenges such as long-term use, high cost, young patients transitioning to adolescents, and switch to self-infusion or self-care. The goal of this systematic literature review is to emphasize adherence to and efficiency of prophylactic treatment in adults.

METHODS

A literature review was conducted in PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases until April 2021 according to PRISMA guidelines, and the protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42020220085). Studies evaluating the efficacy of prophylaxis in enhancing the quality of life were included.

RESULTS

A total of 31 articles involving 2379 patients with hemophilia were included in this systematic review. Of these, 26 studies were observational, questionnaire-based studies, and 5 were randomized controlled trials. The majority of studies reported lower annualized bleeding rates in patients receiving prophylaxis compared with those receiving on-demand treatment or those who discontinued prophylaxis. Standard-dose prophylaxis was reported to be effective in most of the studies. In developing countries like China, data suggest that low doses were administered because of limited available resources. However, standard dose or individualized prophylaxis should be provided to prevent joint damage in the long term. Compared with adults, greater adherence to treatment was observed in patients aged < 16 years.

CONCLUSION

This systematic review emphasizes the importance of adherence to prophylaxis among young adults transitioning from childhood. In countries like China, low-dose prophylaxis can help in preventing joint bleeds in the short term, but in the long term, standard-dose therapy has shown high adherence among young adults and better joint health, in turn improving the quality of life.

Effects of the dietary approach to stop hypertension (DASH) diet on blood pressure, blood glucose, and lipid profile in adolescents with hemophilia: A randomized clinical trial

Children with hemophilia are an enhanced risk of modifiable cardiovascular and metabolic abnormalities. There is currently no nutritional guideline to prevent or manage cardiometabolic risk factors in these patients. Therefore, the present study sought to investigate the effect of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet on cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors among children with hemophilia. In this parallel randomized clinical trial, 40 children (all male) with hemophilia were randomly allocated to the DASH group (n = 20) or control group (n = 20) for 10 weeks. The intervention group received the DASH diet (50%-55% of energy from carbohydrate, 27%-30% of energy from fat and 16%-18% energy from protein), and the control group received nutritional recommendations based on healthy eating practices. Systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), fasting blood sugar (FBS), triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) were measured at the beginning and end of the study. Serum vitamin C was measured as a biomarker of compliance with the DASH diet. Study was registered at IRCT.ir (IRCT20130903014551N6). A significant increase in serum vitamin C in the DASH diet group was observed compared to the control group (p = .001), indicating good compliance with the DASH diet. There was a significant reduction in SBP (-0.48 mmHg), DBP (-0.48 mmHg), FBS (-5.86 mg/dl), TC (-16.07 mg/dl), TG (-17.21 mg/dl), and LDL-C (-9.79 mg/dl), and a significant increase in HDL-C (3.39 mg/dl), in the DASH diet group compared with the control group. Adherence to the DASH diet in children with hemophilia yielded beneficial effects in blood pressure, lipid profiles, and FBS.

The existing scenario of haemophilia care in Canada and China - A review

Hemophilia is an X-linked recessive genetic disorder which affects approximately 400,000 people globally. Differing healthcare reimbursement systems, budgetary constraints and geographical and cultural factors make it difficult for any country to fully deliver ideal care. Although developed countries have sufficient treatment products available, they are burdened by the higher expectation of outcomes, coupled with insufficient supportive care to monitor adherence and outcomes and to implement regular follow-up. In contrast, developing regions may not have ready access to factor replacement, but have developed excellent physiotherapy and rehabilitation programs. Although there are multiple studies that have attempted to assess country-specific variations in hemophilia care, very few compare hemophilia care between economically unequal countries and the challenges in achieving optimal hemophilia care. This literature review tries to bridge this gap and throws light on the country-specific differences in epidemiology, standard of hemophilia care and challenges faced in Canada and China. Data sources resulted in 20 studies (11 from Canada and 9 from China), which were reviewed. In a developed country, the main advantages are: the early treatment of bleeding episodes and the presence of a specialized interdisciplinary and comprehensive treatment concept. This is not the case in most developing countries, where the government does not have the resources to buy the necessary quantities of coagulation factors in the face of more urgent health priorities and hardly a few patients can afford to pay for their own treatment, even the on-demand home therapy.

[Population pharmacokinetics of two recombinant human coagulation factor Ⅷ preparations in patients with hemophilia A]

Objective: To compare the differences in population pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters between two recombinant coagulation factor Ⅷ (FⅧ) preparations, Kogenate FS and Advate, in patients with hemophilia A, and to provide the theoretical basis of precise individualized treatment for those patients. Methods: Patients with moderate or severe hemophilia A who had at least one injection of Kogenate FS or Advate at 41 international hemophilia centers were enrolled as subjects from the WAPPS-Hemo project since January 2015 to December 2017. The half-lives of the two drugs and the time of FⅧ activity reaching 2% (TAT 2%) were calculated, and the differences of PK between the two drugs among different age and dose subgroups were further analyzed. Results: ①The mean age of patients in the Kogenate FS (n=117) and Advate groups (n=120) were (27.6±17.7) and (23.4±16.2) years old, respectively. All patients in the two groups were males. ②The administration doses in the Kogenate FS and Advate groups were (31.5±13.1) IU/kg and (38.17±14.83) IU/kg, respectively; the half-lives of the two drugs were (12.3±3.5) h and (10.8±2.9) h, respectively; and the TAT 2% were (65.2±21.7) h and (57.0±17.9) h, respectively. ③In the Kogenate FS group, the drug half-lives in patients aged ≥12 and <12 years old were (12.7±3.7) h and (11.1±2.5) h, respectively; the TAT 2% were (68.6±22.9) h and (55.8±14.6) h, respectively. In the Advate group, the drug half-lives in patients aged ≥12 and <12 years old were (11.4±3.1) h and (9.4±1.8) h, respectively; and the TAT 2% were (61.1±18.0) h and (45.2±11.3) h, respectively. ④In the Kogenate FS group, the drug half-lives in <20 IU/kg, (20-29) IU/kg, (30-39) IU/kg and ≥40 IU/kg groups were (13.3±4.0) h, (12.3±3.6) h, (12.2±3.5) h and (11.6±2.6) h, respectively; and the TAT 2% were (61.5±21.4) h, (63.9±22.4) h, (67.0±24.3) h and (68.0±19.5) h, respectively. In the Advate group, the drug half-lives in <20 IU/kg, (20-29) IU/kg, (30-39) IU/kg and <40 IU/kg groups were (11.5±3.8) h, (11.4±3.7) h, (11.0±2.9) h and (10.4±2.3) h, respectively; and the TAT 2% were (50.8±19.2) h, (56.7±21.0) h, (58.2±18.8) h and (58.1±15.8) h, respectively. Conclusion: The PK parameters of Kogenate FS are superior to those of Advate among different age and dose subgroups.

Merging into the mainstream: the evolution of the role of point-of-care musculoskeletal ultrasound in hemophilia

Bleeding with resultant hemophilic arthropathy constitutes the largest cause of morbidity in patients with hemophilia. It results from repeated bleeding episodes in the joint and is characterized by synovial hypertrophy and cartilage and bony destruction. Hemophilic arthropathy assessment is a continually evolving process and is particularly challenging in children and young adults in whom joint disease may be missed or underestimated as obtaining serial "baseline" magnetic resonance imaging scans of multiple clinically asymptomatic or nearly asymptomatic joints may be unjustifiable and cost-ineffective. Musculoskeletal ultrasound-particularly, point-of-care musculoskeletal ultrasound-has emerged as a promising imaging modality for the early detection and management of hemophilic arthropathy, and for the evaluation of hemarthrosis and painful musculoskeletal episodes in patients with hemophilia. This review summarizes currently available data on the emerging role of this new imaging modality, its limitations, and gaps in knowledge. The review also raises unanswered questions, highlights the need for consolidated research efforts, and delineates future directions expected to advance this technology and optimize its use in this patient population.

Hemophilia A with a Rare Presentation of Hemarthrosis and Arthropathy Involving Multiple Joints in a Young Male Child

Hemophilia A is an X-linked hereditary bleeding disorder that is rarely encountered by most physicians and surgeons in their practice. Patients with mild hemophilia A tend to bleed profusely after surgery or trauma whereas a severe variant may manifest as spontaneous bleeding after minor trauma, mainly into the joints and muscles. However, seldom do we find a case where the patient experiences bleeding into multiple joints at the same time. In the South Asian population, the incidence of hemarthrosis in hemophilic patients holds scarce literature, making this an under-reported entity.