Increasing Visibility of Sickle Cell Disease in Indiana: Establishing Baseline Prevalence Using Integrated Data From Multiple Sources

OBJECTIVE

The Indiana Sickle Cell Data Collection (IN-SCDC) program aims to provide timely, reliable, and locally relevant information on the sickle cell disease (SCD) population in Indiana to inform public health interventions, research, and policy development. We describe the development of the IN-SCDC program and report the prevalence and geographic distribution of people with SCD in Indiana using an integrated data collection approach.

METHODS

Using multiple integrated data sources and case definitions established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we classified cases of SCD in Indiana during 2015-2019. We calculated the prevalence and incidence of SCD and described characteristics of people with SCD.

RESULTS

We identified 1695 people living with SCD in Indiana during the study period. The median age of people living with SCD was 21 years, and 1474 (87.0%) were Black or African American. Most (n = 1596, 91%) resided in metropolitan counties. The age-adjusted prevalence of SCD was 24.7 cases per 100 000 people. The prevalence of SCD among Black or African American people was 209.3 per 100 000 people. The incidence was 1 in 2608 live births overall and 1 in 446 live births among Black or African American people. Eighty-six deaths were confirmed in this population during 2015-2019.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results establish a baseline for the IN-SCDC program. Baseline and future surveillance program efforts will help accurately inform standards of care for treatments, identify gaps in coverage and access to care, and provide guidance for legislators and community-based organizations.

Population-based surveillance of haemophilia and patient outcomes in Indiana using multiple data sources

Introduction

Epidemiological surveillance of haemophilia through linkage of medical records within a US state has not been conducted in 20 years.

Aim

The Indiana Haemophilia Surveillance Project aims to identify all persons with haemophilia who resided in Indiana in 2011‐2013 and to determine the percentage of patients in Indiana cared for at a federally recognized haemophilia treatment centre (HTC).

Methods

A retrospective review of medical charts was conducted to identify haemophilia cases during the surveillance years. Case‐finding methods involved a variety of medical care resources including hospitals, administrative claims data and haematology/oncology clinic reports.

Results

In Indiana, 704 unique haemophilia cases were identified. Of those cases, 456 (64.8%) had factor VIII and 248 (35.2%) had factor IX deficiency. Among those with known severity levels (n = 685), 233 (34%) were severe, 185 (27%) were moderate, and 267 (39%) were mild. Overall, 81.7% of the haemophilia patients identified visited an HTC at least once during the three‐year study period, which was the requirement for being considered an HTC patient. Age‐adjusted prevalence for 2013 was 19.4 haemophilia cases per 100 000 males, 12.7 per 100 000 for factor VIII and 6.7 per 100 000 for factor IX. Incidence of haemophilia over the 10 years prior to the surveillance years was 1:3688 live male births in Indiana. During the surveillance years, 24 cases (3.4%) died.

Conclusion

We observed higher incidence and prevalence of haemophilia in Indiana compared to previous national estimates, as well as higher HTC utilization among persons with haemophilia.