Measuring the quality of haemophilia care across different settings: a set of performance indicators derived from demographics data

Investigation of the Bleeding Tendency in Sudanese Female Carriers of Hemophilia B

Background. Hemophilia (HB) is an X-linked, recessive bleeding disorder characterized by the deficiency or absence of the coagulation factor IX. Usually, females are carriers of the trait, while males are affected. FIX deficiency leads to uncontrollable bleeding events, and the severity is dependent on the levels of the clotting factor. The objective of this research was to measure the prevalence of bleeding tendency in Sudanese carriers of HB. Materials and Methods. In this cross-sectional study, 88 Sudanese carriers of HB participated. The activated partial thromboplastin time test (APTT) and FIX test were performed for each carrier. The frequencies of DNA polymorphism and FIX-linked restriction fragments BamHI, HhaI, and MnII were also assessed. The study was conducted in Khartoum, Sudan, during the period from 2015 to 2017. Results. The study showed that 55 (62.5%) HB carriers were from the Laban village in the White Nile State, and all of them were members of the Shinkheb tribe. The mean age of the study population was 26.3 years. Among the carriers, 57 (64.7%) had abnormal coagulation profiles. The mean value of the APTT level among carriers was significantly increased ( $P$ value: 0.000), while the mean concentration of the FIX levels among the carriers was significantly decreased ( $P$ value: 0.000). The study also showed a negative correlation between PTT and F assay with $P$ value of 0.000 and $R$ value of 0.578. Conclusion. The APTT is high in most carriers and the FIX assay level is low in most carriers. Most carriers had no symptoms and were not bleeding. The Shinkheb tribe is the most ethnic tribe carrying HB (62.5%). HhaII is more informative for carrier detection than others, but it is of significant value if both (MnII and HhaII) were performed in parallel. In Sudanese, BamHI was informative but MnII and HhaII were best in the mutation detection and for prenatal diagnosis.

Converting factor and nonfactor usage into a single metric to facilitate benchmarking the resources consumed for haemophilia care across jurisdictions and over time

INTRODUCTION

The World Federation of Hemophilia started measuring factor utilization at the country level as IU/capita (International Units of factor concentrates used per country population) in 2001 for its Annual Global Survey. IU/capita have been used to benchmark a country's usage over time and for advocacy. The introduction of a common metric usage spanning across standard half-life (SHL), and extended half-life (EHL) clotting factor concentrates (CFCs) and emicizumab would be a valuable simplification for national healthcare policymaking and industrial production planning.

AIM

Develop and examine a method of converting IU of SHL or EHL, and milligrams of emicizumab into a single metric.

METHODS

We developed conversion factors from manufacturer's recommended dose for prophylaxis with SHL, EHL, and emicizumab as reported on the licensing information for the United States and Europe. We validate the accuracy of these conversion factors against real-world usage data.

RESULTS

The prescribing information in the United States and Europe is marginally different. The SHL/EHL conversion factors are higher when calculated based on the prescribing information than on real-world studies, which are considered more representative of clinical practice. The best estimate of the SHL/EHL conversion factors for FVIII and FIX were 1.04 and 1.87. The conversion factor for emicizumab to SHL is 70 IU/mg.

CONCLUSION

We have generated robust estimates of conversion factors for currently used treatment options for prophylaxis in haemophilia. Usage of a single, harmonized metric will facilitate benchmarking across different countries or longitudinally irrespective of the case-mix of treatment options.

Women and inherited bleeding disorders - A review with a focus on key challenges for 2019

The area of women and inherited bleeding disorders has undergone quick expansion in recent years. More patients are being identified and expertise to diagnose and manage these patients is now essential for practising physicians. Programs to help educate and empower patients and caregivers are now in place. Common inherited bleeding disorders affecting women include von Willebrand disease (VWD), inherited platelet disorders, and rare inherited bleeding disorders such as factor VII (FVII) deficiency and factor XI (FXI) deficiency. Specific clinical tools have been developed to help clinicians and patients screen for the presence of these bleeding disorders in both adult and pediatric populations. Affected women can experience heavy menstrual bleeding and resulting iron deficiency anemia, postpartum hemorrhage, and hemorrhagic ovarian cysts which need to be properly managed. Excessive bleeding can adversely affect quality of life in these women. Front line therapy for bleeding in mild cases focuses on the use of non-specific hemostatic agents such as DDAVP ®, tranexamic acid and hormonal agents but specific factor replacement and/or blood products may be required in more severe cases, in severe bleeding or as second line treatment when bleeding is not responsive to first line agents. Iron status should be optimised in these women especially in pregnancy and use of an electronic app can now help clinicians achieve this. These patients should ideally be managed by a multidisciplinary team whenever possible even remotely. Although clinical research has closed some knowledge gaps regarding the diagnosis and management of these women, there remains significant variation in practise and lack of evidence-based guidelines still exists in many spheres of clinical care in which caregivers must rely on expert opinion. Ongoing efforts in education and research will continue to improve care for these women and restore quality of life for them.