The CANAL Study (Concerted Action on Neutralizing Antibodies in severe hemophilia A) was designed to describe the relationship between treatment characteristics and inhibitor development in previously untreated patients with severe hemophilia A. This multicenter retrospective cohort study investigated 366 consecutive patients born between 1990 and 2000. The outcome was clinically relevant inhibitor development, defined as the occurrence of at least 2 positive inhibitor titers combined with a decreased recovery. Eighty-seven (24%) patients developed inhibitors (69 high titer [19%]). The incidence of inhibitors appeared to be associated with age at first treatment, decreasing from 41% for those treated within the first month of age to 18% in those treated after 18 months; after adjustment for treatment intensity, this association largely disappeared. Surgical procedures and peak treatment moments at start of treatment increased inhibitor risk (relative risk [RR], 3.7; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.0-7.1; and RR, 3.3; CI, 2.1-5.3, respectively). Regular prophylaxis was associated with a 60% lower risk than on-demand treatment (RR, 0.4; CI, 0.2-0.8). Our findings suggest that the previously reported associated between an early age at first exposure and the risk of inhibitor development is largely explained by early, intensive treatment. The latter appears to be an independent risk factor for inhibitor development. In addition, early, regular prophylaxis may protect patients with hemophilia against the development of inhibitors.

For previously untreated children with severe hemophilia A, it is unclear whether the type of factor VIII product administered and switching among products are associated with the development of clinically relevant inhibitory antibodies (inhibitor development).

Review from JAMA Internal Medicine — Association of Laboratory-Defined Aspirin Resistance With a Higher Risk of Recurrent Cardiovascular Events — A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

This systematic review was designed to provide more precise effect estimates of inhibitor development for the various types of F8 gene mutations in patients with severe hemophilia A. The primary outcome was inhibitor development and the secondary outcome was high-titer-inhibitor development. A systematic literature search was performed to include cohort studies published in peer-reviewed journals with data on inhibitor incidences in the various F8 gene mutation types and a mutation detection rate of at least 80%. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) of inhibitor development for different types of F8 gene mutations were calculated with intron 22 inversion as the reference. Data were included from 30 studies on 5383 patients, including 1029 inhibitor patients. The inhibitor risk in large deletions and nonsense mutations was higher than in intron 22 inversions (pooled OR = 3.6, 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 2.3-5.7 and OR = 1.4, 95% CI, 1.1-1.8, respectively), the risk in intron 1 inversions and splice-site mutations was equal (pooled OR = 0.9; 95% CI, 0.6-1.5 and OR = 1.0; 95% CI, 0.6-1.5), and the risk in small deletions/insertions and missense mutations was lower (pooled OR = 0.5; 95% CI, 0.4-0.6 and OR = 0.3; 95% CI, 0.2-0.4, respectively). The relative risks for developing high titer inhibitors were similar.

A wide range of factor VIII and IX levels is observed in heterozygous carriers of hemophilia as well as in noncarriers. In female carriers, extreme lyonization may lead to low clotting factor levels. We studied the effect of heterozygous hemophilia carriership on the occurrence of bleeding symptoms. A postal survey was performed among most of the women who were tested for carriership of hemophilia in the Netherlands before 2001. The questionnaire included items on personal characteristics, characteristics of hemophilia in the affected family members, and carrier testing and history of bleeding problems such as bleeding after tooth extraction, bleeding after tonsillectomy, and other operations. Information on clotting factor levels was obtained from the hospital charts. Logistic regression was used to assess the relation of carrier status and clotting factor levels with the occurrence of hemorrhagic events. In 2004, 766 questionnaires were sent, and 546 women responded (80%). Of these, 274 were carriers of hemophilia A or B. The median clotting factor level of carriers was 0.60 IU/mL (range, 0.05-2.19 IU/mL) compared with 1.02 IU/mL (range, 0.45-3.28 IU/mL) in noncarriers. Clotting factor levels from 0.60 to 0.05 IU/mL were increasingly associated with prolonged bleeding from small wounds and prolonged bleeding after tooth extraction, tonsillectomy, and operations. Carriers of hemophilia bleed more than other women, especially after medical interventions. Our findings suggest that not only clotting factor levels at the extreme of the distribution, resembling mild hemophilia, but also mildly reduced clotting factor levels between 0.41 and 0.60 IU/mL are associated with bleeding. (Blood. 2006;108:52-56)