ALBERT

Description: Introduction Emerging research suggests key differences in clinical manifestations among people with hemophilia A (HA) and hemophilia B (HB) that may impact health-related quality of life (HRQoL), healthcare utilization and costs. However, HB's low prevalence hinders obtaining study cohorts large enough to be representative and avoid selection bias. This analysis of the Hematology Utilization Group Studies (HUGS) cohorts examined over a 2-year period (1) baseline pain, joint range of motion (ROM), and HRQoL (2) clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes, and (3) costs of care and service utilization among a geographically diverse sample of individuals with HB and HA. Materials and Methods HUGS part Va (enrolling HA) and HUGS part Vb (enrolling HB) are US multicenter observational studies conducted at hemophilia treatment centers (HTCs) serving patients from 15 states. HUGS Va was conducted 2005-2007; HUGS Vb 2009-2014. This analysis included 350 participants with complete medical records and ≥2 follow-up surveys: 243 with HA and 107 with HB. Children (age 2-17 years) and adults (age 18-64 years) were followed prospectively. Mean ages at baseline were 21.3 (HA) and 24.5 (HB); 70% of HA participants were severely affected, as were 46% with HB. HUGS collected data through an initial, in-person interview with participants or parents after informed consent; regularly scheduled web-, mail-, or phone-based follow-up questionnaires; and clinical chart review conducted by HTC staff. Treatment utilization and costs were annualized including direct and indirect costs. Medication cost was obtained from payment allowance limits for Medicare Part B. Costs were adjusted for inflation to reflect costs in 2019. We compared continuous variables using Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney and Chi-square or Fisher's exact test for categorical variables. Results Quality of Life and Clinical Measures Both severe adults HA (mean±SD: 40.7±10.4) and HB (42.6±11.4) showed lower SF-12 physical composite score than the general US population (50±10). Severe HB children had mean 6 points greater physical health summary score than severe HA children. Pain and joint ROM limitation were reported less often by those with severe HB (63% and 58%, respectively), compared to those with severe HA (81% and 77% respectively). Among HB children with severe hemophilia, 12% reported pain compared to 28% with HA. Joint ROM limitation was reported in 8% of HB children, compared to 16% with HA. HB children having half the burden than HA on reported pain and joint ROM limitation. Median annualized missed work days were significant lower in the HB group (3) than HA (7), P

Description: BACKGROUND There are limited longitudinal studies following up persons with hemophilia (PWH) in adherence to clotting factor treatment and health outcomes. The Hemophilia Utilization Group Studies part Va (HUGS Va) was a two-year observational study of persons with hemophilia A conducted from 2005-2007. Participants from HUGS Va were enrolled to the long-term follow-up study (HUGS LTS) in 2014. OBJECTIVES To compare participants' characteristics between baseline of HUGS Va and follow-up in LTS; and investigate the impacts of changes of participants' characteristics on annualized bleeding rates. METHODS We collected data on sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Self-reported bleedings were obtained from periodic surveys for 2-years in HUGS Va, and a survey that asked bleedings in the past 6-month in HUGS LTS. Clotting factor dispensing records were collected prospectively for two years in HUGS Va, and retrospectively for six months prior to HUGS LTS enrollment. Annualized bleeding rates and factor dispensing (unit/kg body weight) were calculated. Adherence to factor treatment was determined by the ratio of dispensed clotting factor to clinical recommended factor usage. We classified age at baseline of HUGS Va into three groups: children (aged 2-11 years), adolescents (aged 12-20 years), and adults (aged ≥21 years). The characteristics of participants were compared among the three age groups using Chi-square tests for categorical variables and ANOVA for continuous variables for each study. Annualized factor dispensed and bleeding rates were compared between HUGS Va and HUGS LTS using paired T-tests. RESULTS A total of 74 persons participated in both HUGS Va and LTS with completed data to calculate annualized factor dispensed and bleeding rates were included to the analyses. The mean age was 17.8±11.4 years in HUGS Va, and 26.2±11.5 years in LTS, respectively. The sample had 43% of children, 22% adolescents, and 35% adults at baseline. All adolescents at baseline transitioned to young adults in LTS. Approximately 80% of participants were severe hemophilia. Adults (73%) were less likely to have an entire year of health insurance as compared to children (100%) or adolescents (93.8%, P

Description: BACKGROUD Improved care and prophylactic factor replacement therapy have lengthened life expectancy for persons with hemophilia (PWH). These advancements have created a new hemophilia cohort of senior persons not seen since the previous human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) years, and little is known about their age-related health outcomes. OBJECTIVES We describe the impact of hemophilia on comorbidities, joint problems, healthcare utilization and health related quality of life (HRQoL) from the HUGS VII baseline data. METHODS HUGS VII prospectively examines the cost and burden of hemophilia, including HRQoL, arthropathy, and economic impact in persons with hemophilia A or B age ≥ 40 years who obtained care from three US Hemophilia Treatment Centers. Participants completed a standardized interview to collect clinical and sociodemographic characteristics, hemophilia treatment regimen, pain, joint problems, comorbidities, and HRQoL using EQ-5D-3L. Clinical chart reviews documented hemophilic severity and treatment. Participants' characteristics were compared between two age groups: 40-49 years and ≥ 50 years using Chi-square tests for categorical variables and T-tests for continuous variables. RESULTS This analysis includes a total of 70 male with hemophilia, 64.3% aged ≥50 years, 75.7% with hemophilia A. Individuals ≥ 50 years had higher rates of being married or with a partner (71.11% vs. 56.0%, P=0.20), retired/not employed (66.7% vs. 28.0%, P=0.002), and having mild or moderate hemophilia (68.9% vs. 40.0%, P=0.02) than those 40-49 years old. Use of prophylaxis was similar among age groups in severe hemophilia but lower for older mild/moderate PWH. Among persons with mild/moderate hemophilia, those ≥ 50 years old reported a higher rate of joint pain (83.8% vs 70.0%, P=0.37) or range of motion limitation (73.3% vs, 60.0%, p=0.45) than the younger group, although the differences were not statistically significant. Compared to those 40-49 years old, individuals ≥ 50 years old reported fewer emergency room visits (4.6% vs. 20.8%, P=0.03), and physical therapy visits (16.0% vs. 41.7%, P=0.06). The older age group had significantly higher rates of self-reported myocardial infarction (11.6% vs. 0%, P=0.08) and diabetes (24.4% vs. 4.0%, P=0.03) than those 40-49 years. Self-reported comorbidities were measured by asking "Has a doctor ever told you that you have certain conditions?" The most frequently reported comorbidities were hepatitis C infection (75.7%, 79.3% of persons with infected hepatitis C had been treated and, 82.7% cleared the hepatitis C virus), hypertension (47.1%), depression (23.2%) and anxiety (21.7%). Mean covariates adjusted EQ-5D index score was lower in older persons (0.79 vs. 0.87, P=0.09). CONCLUSIONS Older PWH are over-represented by individuals with mild/moderate disease, potentially due to premature death among those with severe disease. Although this group included a larger proportion of mild disease than younger PWH, it presented prevalent comorbidities both of aging and of hemophilic arthropathy, despite lower rates of healthcare utilization and use of preventive therapies. Disclosures Curtis: USC Hemophilia Utilization Group Study (HUGS): Consultancy; Patient Reported Outcomes, Burdens and Experiences: Consultancy; Bayer: Consultancy; Novo Nordisk: Consultancy. Konkle:Pfizer: Consultancy, Research Funding; Roche: Consultancy; BioMarin: Consultancy; Sigilon: Consultancy, Research Funding; Sanofi: Consultancy, Research Funding; Takeda: Research Funding; Uniquire: Research Funding; CSL Behring: Consultancy; Baxalta: Research Funding; Spark: Consultancy, Research Funding. Kulkarni:Sanofi/ Bioverativ, Bayer, Biomarin, Shire/Takeda, Novo Nordisk, Freeline: Other: clinical trial research grants ; Bioverativ/Sanofi, BPL, Genentech, Kedrion, Novo Nordisk, Octapharma, Pfizer, Takeda, Catalyst Bioscience Bayer: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Wu:Baxalta US Inc., Bannockburn, IL (a Takeda Company), CSL Behring L.L.C., and Octapharma USA, Inc.: Research Funding. Tran:Takeda: Consultancy; Novo Nordisk: Consultancy; Bayer: Consultancy; Bioverativ: Consultancy. Nichol:Global Blood Therapeutics: Research Funding; CSL Behring: Research Funding; Octapharma: Research Funding; Genentech Inc.: Research Funding; Baxalta US Inc., Bannockburn, IL (a Takeda Company): Research Funding; Pfizer: Research Funding.

Description: Introduction: Persons with hemophilia A (PwHA) and Factor VIII inhibitors experience significant economic burden associated with high treatment costs and compromised physical and psychosocial health. Few studies have compared burden of illness for PwHA with active inhibitors to those with tolerized or no inhibitor. We describe clinical and treatment outcomes, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in PwHA with and without inhibitors using the Hemophilia Utilization Group Studies Part VIII (HUGS VIII) baseline cross-sectional data. Methods: HUGS VIII prospectively examines the cost and burden of hemophilia care, including HRQoL, arthropathy, and psychosocial impact in PwHA aged ≥2 years. The study enrolled PwHA with inhibitors and without inhibitor at a 1:2 ratio. Participants were classified to three groups: 1) active inhibitor (FVIII≥1.0 Bethesda Units within six months of data extraction), 2) presumably tolerized inhibitor (history of immune tolerance induction, ITI, and using factor VIII for prophylaxis), and 3) no inhibitor. Parents/adult participants completed a standardized interview at enrollment (baseline) to collect sociodemographic and clinical data, self-reported pain, joint health, and HRQoL measured by the EQ-5D-3L. Clinical chart review documented hemophilic severity, inhibitor level and treatment regimen. Associations between participants' characteristics and inhibitor status were assessed using Chi-square tests. Results: Data from 73 participants with complete baseline information were analyzed. Mean age was 24.8 (standard deviation (SD)=14.1) years, 65.8% were adults, 87.7% had severe hemophilia A, and 87.1% self-reported receiving prophylactic treatment. The three groups of participants were: non-inhibitor (n=42, 57.5%); tolerized inhibitor (n=23, 31.5%); and active inhibitor (n=8, 11.0%). Mean age among the tolerized inhibitor group was significantly younger (17.3, SD=9.3 years) than active inhibitor (22.6, SD=20.4) or non-inhibitor groups (29.3, SD=13.3), p=0.02. Among individuals with inhibitors, 78.6% had undergone ITI which was successful in 72.2%. Adult participants/parents in the active inhibitor group reported a lower rate of full-time employment (42.9%) compared to the non-inhibitor (58.5%) or tolerized inhibitor (55.7%) groups, p=0.03. Compared to those without inhibitors or tolerized inhibitors, those with active inhibitors showed lower HRQoL with lower covariates adjusted mean EQ-5D Visual Analogue Scale (73.1 vs. 83.6, 80.2, P=0.21) or index score (0.80 vs. 0.87, 0.88, P=0.57). Participants with active inhibitors and those without inhibitors were more likely to report having joint pain (85.7%, 75.6% non-inhibitors, vs. 59.1% tolerized inhibitors, p=0.26), or very stiff joints upon arising (71.4%, 73.2%, vs. 27.3%, p=0.002) or during the day (71.4%, 63.4% vs. 27.3%, p=0.01) than those with a tolerized inhibitor, likely due to younger age and earlier institution of long-term effective prophylaxis after ITI. Conclusions: While the study is limited to a small sample with a skew to younger age in persons with tolerized inhibitors, preliminary analyses indicate that individuals with active inhibitors experienced greater negative impacts on employment and HRQoL than PwHA with no or tolerized inhibitors. Younger persons with tolerized inhibitors showed better joint health (less pain, stiffness) than older persons with active or no inhibitor. Future research using longitudinal data on these participants will examine whether individuals in the tolerized inhibitor group with successful ITI continue with long-term prophylaxis and achieve positive joint health outcomes. Disclosures Roberts: uniQure: Consultancy; Takeda: Consultancy, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Pfizer: Consultancy; Novo Nordisk: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Sanofi: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Octapharma: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau. Khairnar:Genentech, Inc.: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company; F Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Wu:Baxalta US Inc., Bannockburn, IL (a Takeda Company), CSL Behring L.L.C., and Octapharma USA, Inc.: Research Funding. Carrasco:Baxalta US Inc., Bannockburn, IL (a Takeda Company), CSL Behring L.L.C., and Octapharma USA, Inc.: Research Funding. Curtis:Bayer: Consultancy; USC Hemophilia Utilization Group Study (HUGS): Consultancy; Novo Nordisk: Consultancy; Patient Reported Outcomes, Burdens and Experiences: Consultancy. Tran:Bioverativ: Consultancy; Novo Nordisk: Consultancy; Bayer: Consultancy; Takeda: Consultancy. Nichol:Pfizer: Research Funding; Octapharma: Research Funding; CSL Behring: Research Funding; Global Blood Therapeutics: Research Funding; Baxalta US Inc., Bannockburn, IL (a Takeda Company): Research Funding; Genentech Inc.: Research Funding.

Description: Background: von Willebrand disease (VWD) is the most common inherited bleeding disorder. Questions remain regarding the impact of VWD related bleeding phenotype on healthcare utilization, joint health, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in the US. Objective: Our study investigated the impact of VWD bleeding phenotype on healthcare utilization, joint health, and HRQoL in a geographically diverse cohort of individuals with VWD who obtain care at seven US Hemophilia Treatment Centers (HTCs). Methods: Hematology Utilization Group Studies (HUGS) prospectively examined the cost and burden of illness in persons with VWD. The current study enrolled individuals age ≥12 with VWD Type 1 (VWF:Ag/RCo: ≤30%), low VWF (VWF:Ag/RCo: 30-50%), Type 2, and 3. Participants completed a standardized interview to collect sociodemographic and clinical data, self-reported healthcare utilization and bleeding in last 6 months, self-reported pain, joint health and HRQoL measured by EQ-5D-3L. Clinical chart reviews abstracted information about VWD type and treatment. Association of bleeding and VWD type with healthcare utilization, joint health, and HRQoL were assessed using Chi-square or Fisher exact tests for categorical variables and Student T-tests or one-way ANOVA for continuous variables. P value ≥0.05 indicates not statistically significant (NS). Results: We analyzed 100 participants with complete baseline information. Mean age was 31.7 (SD=18.6) years, 67.0% were adults ≥18 years, 80.0% were female, 67.7% had Type 1/low VWF, and 3.0% had Type 3 VWD. Mean age at VWD diagnosis was 13.6 (SD=13.0) years. Persons with low VWF were diagnosed and received VWD treatment at an older age (mean 19.2, SD=11.8; 19.4, SD=11.9 years for diagnosis and treatment respectively) than those with Type 1 (13.7, SD=12.7; 15.6, SD=13.7), or Types 2&3 (9.4, SD=12.9; 13.3, SD=16.6), p=0.03 and p=NS. As compared to individuals without bleeding in the previous 6 months, those reported bleeding had significantly higher rate of medical procedures related to treating bleeding events (42.5% vs. 13.3%, p=0.001), and overnight hospitalization (20.0% vs. 3.3%, p

Description: INTRODUCTION Depression can impact quality of life, functioning, and treatment adherence. However, depression in persons with hemophilia A (PwHA) is not uniformly examined nationwide. We report on depression and treatment-related hemophilia symptoms and utilization in a sample from six geographically representative U.S. Hemophilia Treatment Centers (HTCs). METHODS Hematology Utilization Group Studies part Va (HUGS Va, 2005-2007) was an observational study that collected data on sociodemographics and 12-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12) via patient survey, and clinical characteristics via medical chart review for adults (≥18 years old) with hemophilia A. Depressive disorders were assessed by the SF-12 mental component score (MCS), a validated population-based measure including depressive disorders. MCS≤45 has been identified as a depressive symptom threshold suggestive of a disorder. MCS≤36 indicate more severe psychological symptomatology and/or impairment. Demographic and clinical characteristic associations with depression were assessed using Chi-square tests. RESULTS The analysis included 147 adults with mean age 33.0±12.5 years old, 64% with severe hemophilia. Using the criteria of MCS≤45, 27.9% of sample had depressive disorder, and 10.2% had more severe depression at MCS≤36, higher than the 9.0% prevalence of current depression in the general U.S. population studied by CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey data (2006 and 2008). Compared with individuals with no depressive disorder, those with depression were less likely to complete their high school education (51.2% vs. 75.2%, P