7 research outputs found
Gastrointestinal bleeding in a newborn infant with congenital factor X deficiency and COVID-19âA common clinical feature between a rare disorder and a new, common infection
Dear Editors,
Congenital factor X (FX) deficiency is an extremely rare, bleeding disorder with an estimated incidence of one per 1 million. Patients with severe FX deficiency (FX:C < 1%) demonstrate a wide spectrum of serious clinical presentations, including hemarthrosis, hematoma, gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding, intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), and umbilical cord bleeding.1 In fact, severe FX deficiency, with a high rate of lifeâthreatening bleeding, is the secondâmost severe, rare coagulation factor deficiency (RCFD) after FXIII deficiency.1, 2 Although homozygotes are at risk of severe bleeding, heterozygotes usually are asymptomatic, but postsurgical bleeding or bleeding after childbirth may occur.1, 2 Other risk factors can increase the risk of bleeding in FX deficiency, and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVIDâ19), a new medical challenge, could affect the patient's bleeding or thrombotic tendency.3 COVIDâ19, which is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSâCoVâ2) presents an enormous challenge for everyone, especially for those with underlying risk factors such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, and renal failure. Age and male sex are other risk factors.4 Limited data are available regarding the effect of COVIDâ19 on patients with congenital bleeding disorders (CBDs), particularly RCFDs.5 It has been shown that hypercoagulabilityârelated adverse consequences are less common among patients with CBDs, at least in those with moderateâtoâsevere deficiency, but further studies, including our ongoing work on a large number of patients, are required.5 Although there are several reports of newborns among infected pregnant mothers, this is the first report of such a case in an RCFD. This case report may help medical professionals to better manage similar cases. A 19âyearâold pregnant woman was infected with SARSâCoVâ2 early in the 9th month of pregnancy. Reverse transcriptaseâpolymerase chain reaction (RTâPCR) confirmed the infection. The patient had been in close contact with family members with confirmed COVIDâ19. The patient had cough and fever. Due to the mild presentation, she was given Azithromycin and advised to isolate herself at home. The symptoms resolved within 14 days. At end of her 9th month, three days prior to the planned cesarean section, she was rechecked for SARSâCoVâ2 infection; her RTâPCR was negative. She successfully underwent cesarean section without complications and delivered a healthy fullâterm baby. Therefore, mother and newborn discharged the following morning. In the evening, the baby experienced bloody vomiting and was hospitalized for further assessment, which showed GI bleeding. At admission, laboratory tests showed a positive Câreactive protein (CRP) (qualitative), a low hemoglobin level, and prolonged prothrombin time (PT), and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) (Table 1). He was hospitalized in the neonate intensive care unit (NICU) for 10 days. Due to the risk of SARSâCoVâ2 infection, on the third day after admission he was tested by RTâPCR, which was positive. The neonate received 30 mL frozen plasma (FFP) six times over 10 days, which resolved the GI bleeding. Tranexamic acid (TXA) was administered at a dose of 10 mg/kg every 8 hours. Due to lack of COVIDâ19 symptoms, he did not receive any special treatment for the disorder. After 10âday hospitalization in the NICU, the neonate was sent to an isolation room for 5 days, during which his condition stabilized, after which he was discharged in stable condition. He has had no complications during the past two months after discharge. Since the child's father and two other firstâdegree family members have severe FX deficiency, and the parents of the baby are closely related, the mother and the baby were checked for FX deficiency. Routine coagulation tests, and FX:C assay performed by STA Compact automatic coagulometer (Stago, Paris, France), revealed a severe deficiency in the baby, and a mild deficiency, compatible with heterozygote FX deficiency, in the mother (Table 1).
Table 1. Laboratory characteristics of mother and baby with factor X deficiency and COVIDâ19
Test Proband (2nd day after birth) Proband (7th day after birth) Proband (2 months after hospital discharge) Mother (about 3 1/2 months after SARSâCoVâ2 infection)
WBC Ă 109/L 14.2 (8â24)b 9.43 (5â21) 10.79 (6â18) 8.7 (3.6â10.6)
RBC Ă 109/L 2.5 (4.36â5.96) 2.78 (4.2â5.8) 3.50 (3.4â5) 4.41 (3.8â5.2)
Hb (g/dL) 8.2 (16.4â20.8) 9.2 (15.2â20.4) 10.2 (10.6â16.4) 13.6 (12â15)
HCT (%) 24.6 (48â68) 27 (50â64) 29.2 (32â50) 41.4 (35â49)
Lymphocyte Ă 109/L 6.4 (1.3â11) 4.3 (1.2â11.3) 8.21 (2.5â13) 2.22 (1â3.2)
Neutrophil Ă 109/L 4.9 (2.6â17) 2.9 (1.5â12.6) 1.85 (1.2â8.1) 5.75 (1.7â7.5)
Platelet Ă 109/L 370 (150â450) 331 (150â450) 334 (150â450) 276 (150â450)
PT (sec)
>60
(PTC: 12.6)
90
(PTC: 12.6)
>60
(PTC: 10)
13
(PTC: 10)
APTT (sec)
>120
(APTTC: 31)
100
(APTTC: 30)
>120
(APTTC: 32)
37
(APTTC: 32)
CRP (Quantitative) Trace Negative NC NC
FX:C level NC NC <1% (50%â150%) 40% (50%â150%)
Abbreviations: APTT, activated partial thromboplastin time; APTTC, APTT control; CRP, Câreactive protein; Hb, hemoglobin; HCT, hematocrit; NC, Not checked; PT, prothrombin time; PTC, PT control; RBC, red blood cell; WBC, white blood cell.
a Hematological test normal ranges are extracted from Rodak's Hematology: Clinical Principles and Applications, 5th Ed (2016).
b Normal values are placed in parentheses.
COVIDâ19 is an emerging medical challenge that can present more difficulties for those with special conditions, such as pregnant women and newborns. Due to alterations in cellular immunity, pregnant women are more prone to infection by intracellular pathogens like viruses.6 The fetus is also highly susceptible to infection due to immaturity of the immune system.7 Furthermore, the mother's (heterozygote) congenital coagulopathy and that of her newborn (homozygote) were additional potential risk factors, because a disrupted coagulation system is a prominent feature of SARSâCoVâ2 infection.8 To date, FX deficiency in a newborn has not been cited anywhere as a special condition requiring close attention in the case of SARSâCoVâ2 infection. According to the few reports to date, SARSâCoVâ2 infection is a risk factor for severe maternal morbidity. It is worth noting that most of those mothers were discharged without complications.9 From a clinical aspect, fever was the most common symptom (68%) at the time of admission.9 This was also observed in the affected woman of this study. SARSâCoVâ2 infection can even affect the type of delivery. A systematic review of these women showed that about 92% of deliveries were by cesarean section, less than 10% being the usual vaginal delivery (7 of 85). Fetal distress was mentioned as the most common indication for cesarean section. Our patient underwent a planned cesarean section, due to her previous history. The delivery itself was uneventful, and a healthy baby was delivered, while among other reported cases, a number of complications have been noted.9 As with most other reports, the infant did not have any symptoms at the time of delivery and was discharged the day after birth.9 In a case series of 10 patients, various first clinical presentations were observed, including shortness of breath (n = 6), fever (n = 2), vomiting (n = 1), and rapid heart rate (n = 1).10 In the case at hand, bloody vomiting was the first clinical presentation. In the same case series, one died due to refractory shock, multiple organ failure (MOF), and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). Another patient with severe presentation was managed by intravenous infusions of gamma globulin, platelets, and plasma, which was suggestive of the effectiveness of gamma globulin in severe cases. The author recommended early use of intravenous gamma globulin for passive immunization.10 GI bleeding in our case was successfully managed by administration of FFP and TXA. In addition to thrombotic complication, bleeding is not infrequent in patients affected by COVIDâ19, with GI bleeding seemingly the most common hemorrhagic manifestation among adults. GI bleeding, with a frequency of 40%, was observed among neonates from affected mothers.3 On the other hand, GI bleeding is also a relatively common presentation among severely FX deficient patients.1, 2 In fact, GI bleeding can occur in children with severe FX deficiency within the first months of life. It seems that such patients are prone to experience severe bleeding, such as ICH, later in life, in the absence of an appropriate therapeutic strategy, most likely preventative regular secondary prophylaxis.1, 2 In one study of 102 patients with congenital FX deficiency, GI bleeding has been reported in 12% of symptomatic cases.1 In this case, with GI bleeding being a common presentation of SARSâCoVâ2 infection and congenital FX deficiency, it cannot definitively be attributed to one or the other. Close monitoring of such cases is necessary to decrease related adverse consequences. Although it seems that COVIDâ19 is less severe in adults with CBDs, it is a lessâknown issue among children and newborns with CBDs. Further reports and studies could provide clarity. Due to their severe bleeding tendency, close monitoring of patients with severe congenital FX deficiency is mandatory, even without potential SARSâCoVâ2 infection. And close monitoring of neonates with infected mothers is mandatory to prevent severe consequences. Patients with concomitant infection with SARSâCoVâ2 require even more rigorous preventative and supportive care.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We highly appreciate Daisy Morant's valuable aid in improving the English Language of this manuscript. The study was supported and approved by Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors have no competing interests.
AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS
A. Dorgalaleh designed the work, performed laboratory analysis, and wrote the manuscript. F Ghazizadeh, M. Baghaipour, A. Dabbagh, Gh. Bahoush, and N Baghaipour performed clinical studies. Sh. Tabibian, M. Jazebi, N. Baghaipour, M. Bahraini, A. Fazeli, and F. Yousefi performed laboratory analysis. All the authors approved the submission
Von Willebrand factor propeptide and pathophysiological mechanisms in European and Iranian patients with type 3 von Willebrand disease enrolled in the 3WINTERS-IPS study
Background Type 3 von Willebrand disease (VWD) is a severe bleeding disorder caused by the virtually complete absence of von Willebrand factor (VWF). Pathophysiological mechanisms of VWD like defective synthesis, secretion, and clearance of VWF have previously been evaluated using ratios of VWF propeptide (VWFpp) over VWF antigen (VWF:Ag) and factor (F)VIII coagulant activity (FVIII:C) over VWF:Ag. Objective To investigate whether the VWFpp/VWF:Ag and FVIII:C/VWF:Ag ratios may also be applied to understand the pathophysiological mechanism underlying type 3 VWD and whether VWFpp is associated with bleeding severity. Methods European and Iranian type 3 patients were enrolled in the 3WINTERS-IPS study. Plasma samples and buffy coats were collected and a bleeding assessment tool was administered at enrolment. VWF:Ag, VWFpp, FVIII:C, and genetic analyses were performed centrally, to confirm patients' diagnoses. VWFpp/VWF:Ag and FVIII:C/VWF:Ag ratios were compared among different variant classes using the Mann-Whitney test. Median differences with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using the Hodges-Lehmann method. VWFpp association with bleeding symptoms was assessed using Spearman's rank correlation. Results Homozygosity/compound heterozygosity for missense variants showed higher VWFpp level and VWFpp/VWF:Ag ratio than homozygosity/compound heterozygosity for null variants ([VWFpp median difference, 1.4 IU/dl; 95% CI, 0.2-2.7; P = .016]; [VWFpp/VWF:Ag median difference, 1.4; 95% CI, 0-4.2; P = .054]). FVIII:C/VWF:Ag ratio was similarly increased in both. VWFpp level did not correlate with the bleeding symptoms (r = .024; P = .778). Conclusions An increased VWFpp/VWF:Ag ratio is indicative of missense variants, whereas FVIII:C/VWF:Ag ratio does not discriminate missense from null alleles. The VWFpp level was not associated with the severity of bleeding phenotype.Peer reviewe
Bleeding symptoms in patients diagnosed as type 3 von Willebrand disease : Results from 3WINTERS-IPS, an international and collaborative cross-sectional study
Background Type 3 von Willebrand's disease (VWD) patients present markedly reduced levels of von Willebrand factor and factor VIII. Because of its rarity, the bleeding phenotype of type 3 VWD is poorly described, as compared to type 1 VWD. Aims To evaluate the frequency and the severity of bleeding symptoms across age and sex groups in type 3 patients and to compare these with those observed in type 1 VWD patients to investigate any possible clustering of bleeding symptoms within type 3 patients. Methods We compared the bleeding phenotype and computed the bleeding score (BS) using the MCMDM-1VWD bleeding questionnaire in patients enrolled in the 3WINTERS-IPS and MCMDM-1VWD studies. Results In 223 unrelated type 3 VWD patients, both the BS and the number of clinically relevant bleeding symptoms were increased in type 3 as compared to type 1 VWD patients (15 versus 6 and 5 versus 3). Intracranial bleeding, oral cavity, hemarthroses, and deep hematomas were at least five-fold over-represented in type 3 VWD. A more severe bleeding phenotype was evident in patients having von Willebrand factor antigen levels <20 IU/dL at diagnosis in the two merged cohorts. In type 3 patients, there was an apparent clustering of hemarthrosis with gastrointestinal bleeding and epistaxis, whereas bleeding after surgery or tooth extraction clusters with oral bleeding and menorrhagia. Conclusions In the largest cohort of type 3 VWD patients, we were able to describe a distinct clinical phenotype that is associated with the presence of a more severe hemostatic defect.Peer reviewe
Strategies for inhibitor treatment and costs in the short and long term: a critical evaluation of recent clinical studies
One important complication of patients with severe haemophilia A is the formation of inhibitory antibodies to factor VIII (FVIII). Immune tolerance induction (ITI) is the treatment of choice for patients with inhibitors, but this approach is successful in about 60% of patients. Treatment of acute bleeding in patients with inhibitors is one of the greatest challenges in haemophilia management and is costly. Bypassing agents are the mainstay of treatment in these patients. The aims of this study were to review the most recent publications concerning the costs of inhibitor treatment. We conducted a literature review using PubMed which yielded 63 papers analysing the costs of inhibitor management of which 12 were suitable for our study. Four of eight studies supported the use of activated prothrombin complex concentrate (aPCC) with lower costs, but the remaining four studies showed that recombinant factor VIIa (rFVIIa) had a lower average treatment cost. Of four ITI studies, two supported lifelong cost-effectiveness of ITI vs. bypassing agents and the remaining two papers showed a high cost of inhibitor treatment. Dosages, time between onset of bleeding and treatment, patient characteristics and the price of drugs are some of the important issues that should be considered for further studies
Gastrointestinal bleeding in a newborn infant with congenital factor X deficiency and COVIDâ19âA common clinical feature between a rare disorder and a new, common infection
von Willebrand factor neutralizing and non-neutralizing alloantibodies in 213 subjects with type 3 von Willebrand disease enrolled in 3WINTERS-IPS
Background: Type 3 von Willebrand disease (VWD) is the most severe form of this disease owing to the almost complete deficiency of von Willebrand factor (VWF). Replacement therapy with plasma-derived products containing VWF or recombinant VWF rarely cause the development of alloantibodies against VWF that may be accompanied by anaphylactic reactions. Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of anti-VWF alloantibodies in subjects with type 3 VWD enrolled in the 3WINTERS-IPS. Methods: An indirect in-house enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay has been used to test all the alloantibodies against VWF. Neutralizing antibodies (inhibitors) have been tested with a Bethesda-based method by using a VWF collagen binding (VWF:CB) assay. Samples positive for anti-VWF antibodies were further tested with Bethesda-based methods by using the semiautomated gain-of-function glycoprotein-Ib binding (VWF:GPIbM) and a VWF antigen (VWF:Ag) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: In total, 18 of the 213 (8.4%) subjects tested positive for anti-VWF antibodies and 13 of 213 (6%) had VWF:CB inhibitors. These 13 were among the 18 with anti-VWF antibodies. Of the 5 without VWF:CB inhibitors, 3 had non-neutralizing antibodies, 1 only inhibitor against VWF:GPIbM, and one could not be tested further. Ten of the 13 subjects with VWF:CB inhibitors also had VWF:GPIbM inhibitors, 6 of whom also had VWF:Ag inhibitors. Subjects with inhibitors were homozygous for VWF null alleles (11/14), homozygous for a missense variant (1/14), or partially characterized (2/14). Conclusions: Anti-VWF antibodies were found in 8.4% of subjects with type 3 VWD, whereas neutralizing VWF inhibitors were found in 6%, mainly in subjects homozygous for VWF null alleles. Because inhibitors may be directed toward different VWF epitopes, their detection is dependent on the assay used
Genotypes of European and Iranian patients with type 3 von Willebrand disease enrolled in 3WINTERS-IPS
Type 3 von Willebrand disease (VWD3) is a rare and severe bleeding disorder characterized by often undetectable von Willebrand factor (VWF) plasma levels, a recessive inheritance pattern, and heterogeneous genotype. The objective of this study was to identify the VWF defects in 265 European and Iranian patients with VWD3 enrolled in 3WINTERS-IPS (Type 3 Von Willebrand International Registries Inhibitor Prospective Study). All analyses were performed in centralized laboratories. The VWF genotype was studied in 231 patients with available DNA (121 [115 families] from Europe [EU], and 110 [91 families] from Iran [IR]). Among 206 unrelated patients, 134 were homozygous (EU/IR 5 57/77) and 50 were compound heterozygous (EU/IR 5 43/7) for VWF variants. In 22 patients, no or only one variant was found. A total of 154 different VWF variants (EU/IR 5 101/58 [5 shared]) were identified among the 379 affected alleles (EU/IR 5 210/169), of which 48 (EU/IR 5 18/30) were novel. The variants p.Arg1659*, p.Arg1853*, p.Arg2535*, p.Cys275Ser, and delEx1_Ex5 were found in both European and Iranian VWD3 patients. Sixty variants were identified only in a single allele (EU/IR 5 50/10), whereas 18 were recurrent ($3 patients) within 144 affected alleles. Nine large deletions and one large insertion were found. Although most variants predicted null alleles, 21% of patients carried at least 1 missense variant. VWD3 genotype was more heterogeneous in the European population than in the Iranian population, with nearly twice as many different variants. A higher number of novel variants were found in the Iranian VWD3 patients