Acquired haemophilia A: Italian Consensus Recommendations on diagnosis, general management and treatment of bleeding.

BACKGROUND: Acquired haemophilia A (AHA) is a rare bleeding disorder due to autoantibodies to coagulation factor VIII that may be secondary to autoimmune diseases, cancer, drugs, pregnancy, infections, or be idiopathic. Recurrent bleeding, often severe, mostly in muscles and soft tissues, and isolated prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), in the absence of personal and family history of bleeding, are typical features that should raise the suspicion of AHA. Poor awareness of the disease results in diagnostic delays and inappropriate treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Italian Association of Haemophilia Centres (AICE) developed consensus recommendations in cooperation with the Italian Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (SISET). The document was shared with scientific societies of specialist physicians, laboratory professionals and pharmacists to spread knowledge about AHA and promote appropriate diagnosis/treatment. RESULTS: Ready availability of the aPTT mixing test is crucial, although diagnostic confirmation and optimal management require prompt referral of patients to specialised centres with rapidly available diagnostic and therapeutic facilities. If immediate referral is unfeasible, treatment must be undertaken early, under guidance of specialised centres or based on shared protocols. Recommendations about diagnosis, general management and, in bleeding patients, haemostatic therapy using bypassing agents or replacement treatment, including the recently available recombinant porcine factor VIII, are provided, considering the different clinical settings and laboratory facilities. DISCUSSION: This consensus document aims to improve the overall healthcare pathways for AHA, harmonise the management and therapeutic approaches to newly diagnosed patients and reduce the still relevant complications and mortality in this setting.

Optimising prophylaxis outcomes and costs in haemophilia patients switching to recombinant FVIII-Fc: a single-centre real-world experience.

BACKGROUND: The recombinant factor VIII (rFVIII)-IgG1 Fc fusion protein (rFVIII-Fc) was the first available extended half-life rFVIII, shown to prolong dosing intervals of individualised prophylaxis in patients with severe haemophilia A, maintaining low bleeding rates and unchanged or lower FVIII dose versus standard half-life (SHL) rFVIII. Few data are available about real-world experience with rFVIII-Fc, including criteria for patient switching from SHL products, follow up and prophylaxis optimisation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A single-centre retrospective study was designed to review patients switched to rFVIII-Fc, based on individual needs, after pharmacokinetic (PK) assessment, according to routine clinical practice. In patients with adequate post-switch follow up, data about rFVIII-Fc prophylaxis were compared with those from the last 18-months SHL rFVIII prophylaxis. RESULTS: Of 25 candidates, 18 patients (15 severe, 3 moderate; aged 9-62 years; 3 with inhibitor history) started rFVIII-Fc regimens, with comparable FVIII weekly dose and reduced infusion frequency (mean -30%) in all 17 patients previously on SHL rFVIII prophylaxis thrice weekly or every other day. Over a mean 18-month follow up in 13 patients, compared with SHL products, further reduced infusion frequency (mean -40%; p<0.001; interval ≥4 days in 9 patients), improved treatment satisfaction (Hemo-sat questionnaires), significantly lower FVIII weekly dose and annual consumption (mean -12%; p=0.019), comparable bleeding rates and FVIII trough levels, and improved management of breakthrough bleeding were observed. von Willebrand Factor Antigen (VWF:Ag) correlated to PK variables and both had relationships with rFVIII-Fc weekly dose, increasing statistical significance over the follow-up period. No inhibitors or drug-related adverse events were recorded. DISCUSSION: In this real-world series of patients, a switch to rFVIII-Fc, based on careful assessment of clinical needs, PK testing and treatment monitoring, was able to optimise individual convenience, efficacy and costs of prophylaxis.

Pain assessment and management in haemophilia: A survey among Italian patients and specialist physicians.

INTRODUCTION: Persons with haemophilia (PWH) experience recurrent joint bleeding which leads from early synovitis to irreversible joint damage. Pain strongly affects patients' quality of life, as PWH suffer from acute pain associated with haemarthroses and chronic pain due to arthritic and degenerative complications. AIM: To investigate pain issues among PWH and their treaters in Italy. METHODS: Persons with haemophilia and specialist physicians responded to a survey focused on pain characteristics, assessment, and management by phone call and online, respectively. RESULTS: One hundred and nineteen patients (76% severe haemophilia, 61% ≥18 years) and 44 physicians were involved. Pain was reported by 61% of PWH; among those who did not experience pain, 70% were children on prophylaxis. Patients described pain as chronic (71%), acute (69%) or postoperative (8%), and rated it as severe in 65% of cases. Clinicians reported lower percentages of patients with pain (46%), classified as chronic (58%), acute (33%) or postoperative (21%), half using specific scales. Pain was systematically investigated by treaters according to 36% of patients. Paracetamol was largely the most prescribed first-line pain therapy (89%), as well the most employed analgesic by PWH (51%), who also used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (24%), cyclo-oxygenase-2 inhibitors (21%) or opioids (26%). To manage pain, 61% of clinicians stated to collaborate with other specialists. Physiotherapy was often suggested but less frequently used by PWH. CONCLUSIONS: Pain is under-recognized and unsatisfactorily addressed by haemophilia treatment centre (HTC) clinicians, with discrepant management compared to PWH responses. Education in systematic pain assessment and multidisciplinary treatment and development of management guidelines are highly needed.

Cryptic 13q34 and 4q35.2 Deletions in an Italian Family.

Variations of DNA sequences in the human genome range from large, microscopically visible chromosome anomalies to single nucleotide changes. Submicroscopic genomic copy number variations, i.e. chromosomal imbalances which are undetectable by conventional cytogenetic analysis, play an intriguing clinical role. In this study, we describe the clinical consequences of the concurrent presence of an interstitial deletion in 13q34 and a terminal deletion in 4q35.2 in an Italian family. The index patient, a 19-year-old male, as well as his 12-year-old sister are carriers of both deletions, one of maternal and the other of paternal origin. The phenotype includes language delay, multiorgan involvement and bleeding diathesis with mild deficiency of factors X and VII. In the sister, the concomitant presence of Noonan syndrome may partly explain the clinical symptoms. The deleted region on chromosome 13 involves several genes (ATP11A, MCF2L, F7, F10, PROZ, PCID2, CUL4A, and LAMP1); some of these seem to play a role in the proband's phenotype. The terminal deletion in 4q35.2 contains other OMIM genes (FRG1, FRG2 and DBET); moreover, the 4q region is reported as a susceptibility locus for Crohn's disease, diagnosed in the proband's father. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a family with these 2 submicroscopic copy number changes. We tried to relate the clinical phenotype of the proband and his family to the molecular function of the involved genes.