Comprehensive care for hemophilia and other inherited bleeding disorders

Abstract

The World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH) states in its Guidelines for the Management of Hemophilia, Second Edition [1], that people with hemophilia are best managed in a comprehensive care setting. That team is typically comprised of a core group including a hematologist, nurse coordinator, physiotherapist, social worker, specialized lab technologist and data manager, and as needed, by other specialists. Hemophilia is an X-linked congenital bleeding disorder caused by a deficiency of coagulation factor VIII (FVIII) in hemophilia A or factor IX (FIX) in hemophilia B. There are a number of other disorders that are now typically treated in these comprehensive care centers including von Willebrand disease (VWD), rare factor deficiencies (I, II, V, V & VIII, VII, X, XI and XIII), and inherited platelet function disorders. Models of comprehensive care delivery for hemophilia and other inherited bleeding disorders were first defined in the 1960s and have been in constant evolution ever since. Comprehensive care for hemophilia and other inherited bleeding disorders was made possible by the discovery of cryoprecipitate for the treatment of hemophilia A in the mid-1960s and, in the decade that followed, the development of lyophilized clotting factor concentrates. It was quickly realized that treatment at home was far preferable to frequent visits to Emergency Departments or out-patient. Tragically, the same clotting factor concentrates that revolutionized treatment and dramatically improved quality of life exposed thousands of people with hemophilia to HIV-AIDS and hepatitis C in the late 1970s and 1980s [2]. The model of comprehensive care was forced to add specialists in infectious disease and hepatology. At the same time, the crisis accelerated the development of recombinant FVIII and IX clotting factors; these entered the clinic in 1993 and 1997 respectively. The proven safety of both recombinant and plasma-derived products spurred on the expansion of prophylactic care to more patients. Today, with the success of a comprehensive care model that keeps patients out of the hospital (and out of sight), and promises a normal lifespan, there is an emerging impression among many health system managers that the problem of hemophilia is “solved.” In 2019, however, even the best care and treatment remains highly burdensome and not entirely efficacious. Emerging innovative therapies are promising yet dramatically different in their modes of action, dosing and administration. Much of what has been learned in terms of management of the disease over the last 50 years may no longer be relevant. Rather than one type of treatment for all, there may well be many different therapies. Comprehensive care centres will not become obsolete. It will remain critically important that specialized staff be able to foster long-term relationships with patients and their families. Indeed, they will need to expand their knowledge and expertise in order to be able to continue to deliver the standards of care so carefully developed since the 1960s.