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OBJECTIVES: Our aim was to better understand and raise awareness of the diagnosis journey and quantify any barriers for timely diagnosis of haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), to support patients' struggle with diagnosis and reduce time to diagnosis. METHODS: Patients diagnosed with, or caregivers for those diagnosed with primary or secondary HLH and physicians involved in the treatment of HLH were recruited. Quantitative interviews were undertaken with patients/caregivers to quantify key elements of the diagnosis journey, followed by qualitative interviews with participants. Interviews took place between March-May 2021. RESULTS: Thirty-three patients/caregivers and nine physicians took part in this mixed methods study. Lack of physician awareness of HLH was a common frustration for patients/caregivers, causing delayed diagnosis. All physicians indicated bone-marrow testing is a key step in the diagnosis process, and some patients/caregivers had frustrations around testing. Emergency care doctors, although not usually involved in the diagnosis process, were among the most-seen specialists by patients/caregivers. Patients/caregivers suggested potential improvements in available information, such as providing information on treatment options and condition management. DISCUSSION: Patients/caregivers and physicians agreed on the need to raise overall awareness of HLH signs/symptoms among priority groups of physicians to recognise how signs/symptoms can progress and develop. Improvements in the testing process and communication would directly impact the speed of diagnosis and support patients/caregivers during the diagnostic journey, respectively. CONCLUSION: Raising awareness of key issues, such as signs/symptoms, tests and diagnostic procedures, and improved communication and support for patients/caregivers, are key to speeding up HLH diagnosis and improving outcomes.
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Linfohistiocitosis Hemofagocítica , Humanos , Linfohistiocitosis Hemofagocítica/diagnóstico , Linfohistiocitosis Hemofagocítica/terapia , Masculino , Femenino , Adulto , Persona de Mediana Edad , Personal de Salud , Anciano , Adulto Joven , Conocimientos, Actitudes y Práctica en Salud , AdolescenteRESUMEN
INTRODUCTION: Recombinant factor IX (rFIX) and recombinant FIX Fc fusion protein (rFIXFc) are standard half-life and extended half-life FIX replacement therapies, respectively, and represent established treatment options indicated for adults and children with haemophilia B. These FIX replacement therapies can be administered as prophylaxis (to prevent bleeding) or 'on-demand' (to stop bleeding). This analysis aimed to estimate the cost-effectiveness of once-weekly prophylaxis with rFIXFc versus on-demand treatment with rFIX in patients with haemophilia B without inhibitors in the Italian healthcare setting. METHODS: A Markov model was developed to assess a hypothetical cohort of adolescent or adult male patients (≥ 12 years) with haemophilia B (FIX level of ≤ 2 IU/dL) without inhibitors. Model inputs were derived from the pivotal phase 3 clinical studies for rFIXFc and rFIX, published literature and assumptions when published data were unavailable. The model employed a lifelong time horizon with 6-monthly transitions between health states, and it estimated total costs, total quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), number of bleeds, number of surgeries and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio. RESULTS: rFIXFc prophylaxis was associated with lower total costs per patient (5,308,625 versus 6,564,510) and greater total QALYs per patient (15.936 versus 11.943) compared with rFIX on-demand; rFIXFc prophylaxis was therefore the dominant treatment strategy. The model also demonstrated that rFIXFc prophylaxis was associated with fewer incremental bleeds (- 682.29) and surgeries (- 0.39) compared with rFIX on-demand. CONCLUSIONS: rFIXFc prophylaxis provides improved health outcomes and lower costs, and represents a cost-effective treatment option compared with rFIX on-demand for adolescent and adult male patients with haemophilia B. This comparative assessment of cost-effectiveness should help to inform both clinicians and healthcare policy makers when making treatment decisions for patients with haemophilia B.
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Factor IX , Hemofilia B , Fragmentos Fc de Inmunoglobulinas , Proteínas Recombinantes de Fusión , Adolescente , Adulto , Niño , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Adulto Joven , Análisis Costo-Beneficio , Factor IX/uso terapéutico , Factor IX/economía , Hemofilia B/tratamiento farmacológico , Hemofilia B/economía , Hemorragia/prevención & control , Fragmentos Fc de Inmunoglobulinas/uso terapéutico , Fragmentos Fc de Inmunoglobulinas/economía , Italia , Cadenas de Markov , Años de Vida Ajustados por Calidad de Vida , Proteínas Recombinantes de Fusión/economía , Proteínas Recombinantes de Fusión/uso terapéutico , Proteínas Recombinantes/uso terapéutico , Proteínas Recombinantes/economíaRESUMEN
Background: Hemophilia-associated bleeding and resultant joint pain and mobility restrictions can predispose patients to poor health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Therefore, efficacy of a treatment needs to address more than just annualized bleed rates. Objectives: Describe the evolution of HRQoL, pain, and activity in patients with hemophilia A, treated with efmoroctocog alfa prophylaxis. Design: A post hoc analysis from Kids A-LONG (NCT01458106), A-LONG (NCT01181128), and long-term extension study ASPIRE (NCT01454739) assessed change in pain and activity-related patient-reported outcomes (PROs). Methods: Physical health, pain, and HRQoL were assessed by PROs for a cumulative treatment duration of up to ~6 years. The primary endpoint was change from baseline in EuroQoL (EQ)-5D and Haemophilia Quality of Life Questionnaire (Haem-A-QoL). Results: 118 adult/adolescents and 71 pediatric patients were included. The proportion of adults and adolescents reporting no problem in the EQ-5D analysis of 'pain/discomfort' significantly increased from A-LONG baseline (35.04%; 41/117) to ASPIRE month 30 (44.68%; 21/47; p = 0.024). Mean (standard deviation) Haem-A-QoL subdomain scores for 'feeling' and 'physical health' at A-LONG baseline improved by -3.24 (15.13; p = 0.018) and -3.85 (23.07; p = 0.047), respectively, at study end. Proportion of pediatric patients reporting no problem on the EQ-5D analysis of 'pain/discomfort', significantly increased from A-LONG baseline (75.0%; 42/56) to ASPIRE baseline (95.56%; 43/45; p = 0.046). Satisfaction levels for pediatric patients were high at A-LONG baseline and maintained until study end. Conclusion: Long-term efmoroctocog alfa prophylaxis reduces pain and improves HRQoL in adult and adolescent patients with hemophilia A. In pediatric patients, it reduces perceived pain and maintains satisfaction levels. Trial registration: NCT01458106, NCT01181128, NCT01454739.
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Autoimmune Addison's disease (AAD) is a rare but life-threatening endocrine disorder caused by an autoimmune destruction of the adrenal cortex. A previous genome-wide association study (GWAS) has shown that common variants near immune-related genes, which mostly encode proteins participating in the immune response, affect the risk of developing this condition. However, little is known about the contribution of copy number variations (CNVs) to AAD susceptibility. We used the genome-wide genotyping data from Norwegian and Swedish individuals (1,182 cases and 3,810 controls) to investigate the putative role of CNVs in the AAD aetiology. Although the frequency of rare CNVs was similar between cases and controls, we observed that larger deletions (>1,000 kb) were more common among patients (OR = 4.23, 95% CI 1.85-9.66, p = 0.0002). Despite this, none of the large case-deletions were conclusively pathogenic, and the clinical presentation and an AAD-polygenic risk score were similar between cases with and without the large CNVs. Among deletions exclusive to individuals with AAD, we highlight two ultra-rare deletions in the genes LRBA and BCL2L11, which we speculate might have contributed to the polygenic risk in these carriers. In conclusion, rare CNVs do not appear to be a major cause of AAD but further studies are needed to ascertain the potential contribution of rare deletions to the polygenic load of AAD susceptibility.
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Enfermedad de Addison , Humanos , Enfermedad de Addison/genética , Enfermedad de Addison/patología , Variaciones en el Número de Copia de ADN , Estudio de Asociación del Genoma Completo , Predisposición Genética a la Enfermedad , Polimorfismo de Nucleótido Simple , Proteínas Adaptadoras Transductoras de Señales/genéticaRESUMEN
We describe humans with rare biallelic loss-of-function PTCRA variants impairing pre-α T cell receptor (pre-TCRα) expression. Low circulating naive αß T cell counts at birth persisted over time, with normal memory αß and high γδ T cell counts. Their TCRα repertoire was biased, which suggests that noncanonical thymic differentiation pathways can rescue αß T cell development. Only a minority of these individuals were sick, with infection, lymphoproliferation, and/or autoimmunity. We also report that 1 in 4000 individuals from the Middle East and South Asia are homozygous for a common hypomorphic PTCRA variant. They had normal circulating naive αß T cell counts but high γδ T cell counts. Although residual pre-TCRα expression drove the differentiation of more αß T cells, autoimmune conditions were more frequent in these patients compared with the general population.