Associations of quality of life, pain, and self-reported arthritis with age, employment, bleed rate, and utilization of hemophilia treatment center and health care provider services: results in adults with hemophilia in the HERO study

INTRODUCTION: Severe hemophilia and subsequent hemophilic arthropathy result in joint pain and impaired health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Assessment of HRQoL in persons with hemophilia (PWH), including underlying factors that drive HRQoL differences, is important in determining health care resource allocation and in making individualized clinical decisions. AIM: To examine potential associations between HRQoL, pain interference, and self-reported arthritis and age, employment, activity, bleed frequency, and hemophilia treatment center and health care professional utilization. METHODS: PWH (age ≥18 years) from ten countries completed a 5-point Likert scale on pain interference over the previous 4 weeks, the EQ-5D-3L scale (mobility, usual activities, self-care, pain/discomfort, anxiety/depression) including a health-related visual analog scale (0-100, coded as an 11-point categorical response). RESULTS: Pain interference (extreme/a lot) was higher in PWH aged \u3e40 years (31%) compared to those aged 31-40 years (27%) or ≤30 years (21%). In an analysis of eight countries with home treatment, PWH who reported EQ-5D mobility issues were less likely to be employed (53% vs 79%, with no mobility issues). Median annual bleed frequency increased with worsening EQ-5D pain or discomfort. The percentage of PWH with inhibitors reporting visual analog scale scores of 80-90-100 was lower (20%) than those without inhibitors (34%). Median bleed frequency increased with pain. Globally, nurse and social worker involvement increased with disability and pain; physiotherapist utilization was moderate regardless of the extent of disability or pain. CONCLUSION: Increased disability and pain were associated with increased age, lower employment, higher reported bleed frequency, and lower HRQoL

Patient preferences and priorities for haemophilia gene therapy in the US: A discrete choice experiment

From Wiley via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2021-04-29, rev-recd 2021-06-23, accepted 2021-07-15, pub-electronic 2021-07-26Article version: VoRPublication status: PublishedAbstract: Introduction: Gene therapy has shown promise in clinical trials for patients with haemophilia, but patient preference studies have focused on factor replacement treatments. Aim: We conducted a discrete choice experiment (DCE) to investigate the relative importance and differential preferences patients provide for gene therapy attributes. Methods: We surveyed male adults with haemophilia in the United States recruited from patient panels including the National Hemophilia Foundation Community Voices in Research platform using an online survey over 4 months in 2020/21. Participants indicated preferences for gene therapy attributes including dosing frequency/durability, effect on annual bleeding, uncertainty related to side effects, impact on daily activities, impact on mental health, and post‐treatment requirements. The relative importance of each attribute was analysed overall and for subgroups based on haemophilia type and severity. Results: A total of 183 males with haemophilia A (n = 120) or B (n = 63) were included. Half (47%) had severe haemophilia; most (75%) were White. Overall, participants gave effect on bleeding rate the greatest relative importance (31%), followed by dose frequency/durability (26%), uncertainty regarding safety issues (17%), and impact on daily activities (11%). Dose frequency/durability had the greatest importance for those with haemophilia B (35%). Conclusion: People with haemophilia prioritised reduced bleeding and treatment burden; the former was more important in haemophilia A and the latter in haemophilia B, followed by safety and impact on daily life in this DCE of gene therapy attributes. These findings and differences can inform clinical and health policy decisions to improve health equity for people with haemophilia

The Oncology Patient\u27s Perception of Support for the Use of Alternative Therapies by Their Health Care Provider

The purpose of this descriptive study was to determine if patients with cancer communicated their use of alternative therapies to their health care providers, to identify factors that influenced their decision to share (or not to share) this information with the health care provider, to describe the types of alternative therapy they were using, to identify where information on the chosen alternative therapy was obtained, and to discuss the factors that influenced their use of an alternative therapy. A convenience sample of 29 subjects from five oncology practices in northwestern lower Michigan responded to questionnaires assessing their use of alternative therapy. Descriptive statistics along with t-test, correlation coefficients, and chi-square were used to analyze the data. The survey determined that cancer patients who are younger, with a higher education and higher income tend to use more types of alternative therapies. The surveyed group tends to supplement their traditional treatments with alternative therapy more frequently than nationally published reports, receive their alternative therapy information from the lay press, and share this information more often with a health care provider than previously published reports

A descriptive study of United States bleeding disorders camps

Disease-specific camps present one means of helping children overcome the challenges associated with chronic conditions and improving clinical and psychosocial outcomes. For more than 50 years, bleeding disorders camps (BDCs) in the United States (US) have been promoting independence, self-care, and leadership skills in children with bleeding disorders, all while fostering camaraderie in a secure and safe environment. However, little is known about how BDCs are organised, administered, funded, staffed, or how staff are compensated

Predictors of quality of life among adolescents and young adults with a bleeding disorder

Abstract Background Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in adolescents and young adults with bleeding disorders is under-researched. We aimed to describe factors related to HRQoL in adolescents and young adults with hemophilia A or B or von Willebrand disease. Methods A convenience sample of volunteers aged 13 to 25 years with hemophilia or von Willebrand disease completed a cross-sectional survey that assessed Physical (PCS) and Mental (MCS) Component Summary scores on the SF-36 questionnaire. Quantile regression models were used to assess factors associated with HRQoL. Results Of 108 respondents, 79, 7, and 14% had hemophilia A, hemophilia B, and von Willebrand disease, respectively. Most had severe disease (71%), had never developed an inhibitor (65%), and were treated prophylactically (68%). Half of patients were aged 13 to 17 years and most were white (80%) and non-Hispanic (89%). Chronic pain was reported as moderate to severe by 31% of respondents. Median PCS and MCS were 81.3 and 75.5, respectively. Quantile regression showed that the median PCS for women (61% with von Willebrand disease) was 13.1 (95% CI: 2.4, 23.8; p = 0.02) points lower than men. Ever developing an inhibitor (vs never) was associated with a 13.1-point (95% CI: 4.7, 21.5; p < 0.01) PCS reduction. MCS was 10.0 points (95% CI: 0.7, 19.3; p = 0.04) higher for prophylactic infusers versus those using on-demand treatment. Compared with patients with no to mild chronic pain, those with moderate to severe chronic pain had 25.5-point (95% CI: 17.2, 33.8; p < 0.001) and 10.0-point (95% CI: 0.8, 19.2; p = 0.03) reductions in median PCS and MCS, respectively. Conclusions Efforts should be made to prevent and manage chronic pain, which was strongly related to physical and mental HRQoL, in adolescents and young adults with hemophilia and von Willebrand disease. Previous research suggests that better clotting factor adherence may be associated with less chronic pain

Interrelationship between depression, anxiety, pain, and treatment adherence in hemophilia: Results from a US cross-sectional survey

Purpose: Depression, anxiety, pain, and treatment adherence have reciprocal effects not characterized extensively in hemophilia. This study explored the relationships between depression, anxiety, chronic pain, and treatment adherence in adults with hemophilia. Patients and methods: Adults with self-reported hemophilia A or B completed the crosssectional IMPACT QoL II survey. Depression (9-item Patient Health Questionnaire [PHQ-9]), anxiety (7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale [GAD-7]), chronic pain (Faces Pain Scale- Revised [FPS-R]), social support (Duke UNC Functional Social Support questionnaire), level of pain control, clotting factor treatment adherence (VERITAS-Pro or -PRN), and previous depression/anxiety were analyzed. Results: Among 200 participants (male, 77.3%; female, 22.8%), 54% had PHQ-9 and 52% had GAD-7 scores indicating moderate to severe depression or anxiety without diagnosis of either disorder. Participants with PHQ-9 scores ≥10 (moderate to severe depression) were more likely to have lower treatment adherence than those with PHQ-9 scores \u3c10 \u3e(

Evidence of a disability paradox in patient-reported outcomes in haemophilia.

From PubMed via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2020-12-02, revised 2021-01-13, accepted 2021-02-08Publication status: aheadofprintFunder: uniQure Inc.People with inherited and long-term conditions such as haemophilia have been shown to adapt to their levels of disability, often reporting better quality of life (QoL) than expected from the general population (the disability paradox). To investigate the disability paradox in people with haemophilia in the United States by examining preference differences in health state valuations versus the general population. We conducted a discrete choice experiment including duration to capture valuations of health states based on patient-reported preferences. Participants indicated their preferences for hypothetical health states using the EQ-5D-5L, where each participant completed 15 of the 120 choice tasks. Response inconsistencies were evaluated with dominated and repeated scenarios. Conditional-logit regressions with random sampling of the general population responses were used to match the sample of patients with haemophilia. We compared model estimates and derived preferences associated with EQ-5D-5L health states. After removing respondents with response inconsistencies, 1327/2138 (62%) participants remained (177/283 haemophilia; 1150/1900 general population). Patients with haemophilia indicated higher preference value for 99% of EQ-5D-5L health states compared to the general population (when matched on age and gender). The mean health state valuation difference of 0.17 indicated a meaningful difference compared to a minimal clinically important difference threshold of 0.07. Results were consistent by haemophilia type and severity. Our findings indicated the presence of a disability paradox among patients with haemophilia, who reported higher health states than the general population, suggesting the impact of haemophilia may be underestimated if general population value sets are used. [Abstract copyright: © 2021 The Authors. Haemophilia published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Natural history study of factor IX deficiency with focus on treatment and complications (B-Natural)

INTRODUCTION: Haemophilia B (HB) is less well studied than haemophilia A (HA); despite similarities between the two inherited bleeding disorders, important differences remain that require further research. AIM: B-Natural is a multi-centre, prospective, observational study of HB, designed to increase understanding of clinical manifestations, treatment, quality-of-life (QoL), inhibitor development, immune tolerance induction (ITI) outcome, renal function and create a biorepository for future investigations. METHODS: Participants include sibling pairs/groups without a current/history of inhibitors and singletons or siblings with a current/history of inhibitors followed for six months. Demographics, medical, social history and treatment were recorded. A physical examination including joint range of motion (ROM) was performed; QoL was assessed. Samples were collected for F9 gene mutation, HLA typing, non-inhibitory antibodies and renal function testing. RESULTS: Twenty-four centres enrolled 224 individuals from 107 families including 29 with current/history of inhibitors. Of these, 68, 30.4%, had severe (\u3c1% FIX level of normal); 114, 50.9%, moderate (1%-5%); and 42, 18.8%, mild (\u3e5-\u3c40%) disease. At enrolment, 53.1% had 50 + exposure days to exogenous FIX. Comparison of joint scores showed significant (P \u3c .05) differences between those with severe (with/without inhibitors), and those with moderate/mild disease. The majority with severe disease, 80.0% with current/history of inhibitors and 64.3% of those without, were treated with prophylaxis. CONCLUSION: B-Natural provides data supporting an increased understanding of HB and its impact throughout life. The need for optimal disease control to normalize physical and psychosocial outcomes is underscored, and further analyses will contribute to an increased understanding of critical issues in HB

Quality of life in a large multinational haemophilia B cohort (The B-Natural study) – Unmet needs remain

Introduction: The B-Natural study is a multicentre, multinational, observational study of haemophilia B (HB) designed to increase understanding of clinical manifestations, treatment and quality of life (QoL). Aim: To characterise and compare QoL in HB across disease severity groups and individuals with inhibitors to identify gaps in treatment. Methods: A total of 224 individuals from 107 families were enrolled from a total of 24 centres in North America (n = 16), Europe (n = 7) and Asia (n = 1). Of these, 68 (30.4%) subjects had severe (5–< 40 IU/dL), age 12.1 years, disease. Twenty-nine participants had inhibitors or a history of inhibitors. Three versions of the EQ-5D instrument were used as a measure of QoL: proxy (ages 4–7), youth (ages 8–15) and self (age 16+). Each instrument included a visual analogue scale ranging from 100 (best health) to 0 (worst health) to assess current day's health (EQ VAS). Range-of-motion (ROM) for elbows, knees and ankles was assessed using a four-point scale, from which a composite score was calculated. Results: In all severity groups, a proportion of subjects showed less than optimal QoL. The majority of the mild and moderate severe participants reported a normal EQ-5D health profile (79% and 72%, respectively), whereas about half (47%) of the severe participants and only 13% of the inhibitor participants reported this profile. Conclusion: The B-Natural study reveals impacted QoL in all disease severities of HB including those with inhibitors. Unmet needs remain and include nonsevere HB