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Background and Objectives: Chronic diseases, such as inherited bleeding disorders (IBD) are often associated with high costs of medical care. COVID-19 containment measures, including isolation and triage, led to restrictions in the health care of chronically ill patients. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health care of IBD patients., Methods: In this multicentre cross-sectional study to evaluate the effects of COVID-19 on the mental health and quality of care of patients with inherited bleeding disorder, an ad hoc questionnaire was sent to 586 patients/parents of children with haemophilia A, B or von Willebrand syndrome type 3. In addition to demographic and clinical data, patients/parents of patients with inherited bleeding disorders were asked about their thoughts, concerns and experiences regarding their medical care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Differences between clinical subgroups were calculated., Results: Significant differences were found between subgroups (severity, type of therapy, product class, comorbidities) with regard to the transmission of COVID-19 through plasma products, the effects of COVID-19 positive test results, fear of getting COVID-19, delayed drug supply and physiotherapy treatment., Discussion: The medical care of patients with inherited bleeding disorders, who need a continuous supply of essential drugs, is a particular challenge in times of pandemics. Therefore, worries and fears of IBD patients should be taken seriously and innovative communication channels established to maintain therapy standards and quality of care., Competing Interests: Die Autoren S. Halimeh, M. Olivieri, C. Wermes, W.A. Hassenflug, K. Holstein und S. von Mackensen bestätigen, dass kein Interessenskonflikt besteht und sie keine finanzielle Unterstützung für die Durchführung der Studie erhalten haben., (Thieme. All rights reserved.)

Emicizumab has been approved for bleeding prophylaxis in patients with haemophilia A (PWHAs) with or without inhibitors. Because of substantial differences between factor VIII (FVIII) and Emicizumab, the 'Ständige Kommission Hämophilie' of the German, Austrian, Swiss Society for Thrombosis and Haemostasis Research (GTH) established a practical guidance for the use of Emicizumab in PWHAs. A systematic literature research was conducted in PubMed. Based on this and on personal experience, this practical guidance has been developed. Each single statement has been discussed among members of the 'Ständige Kommission Hämophilie' and revised accordingly. The final set of recommendations has been approved by all authors analogous to the Delphi method. This practical guidance is provided for physicians treating PWHAs with regard to general aspects, patient education, bleeding treatment, surgery, use of Emicizumab in previously untreated patients (PUPs), patients with newly diagnosed inhibitors and elderly patients. Patients should be treated in expert centres and adequate laboratory tests to monitor Emicizumab levels, FVIII replacement and inhibitors should be available. Early experience of immune tolerance induction protocols integrating Emicizumab is reviewed, and the limited experience in PUPs and very young children is described. So far, no thromboembolic complications have been reported with the concomitant use of FVIII or recombinant activated FVII for bleeding treatment or surgery. Activated prothrombin complex concentrate doses of >100 U/kg for >24 hours should be avoided whenever possible because of the high risk of thrombosis and/or thrombotic microangiopathy. In conclusion, this study is designed to support haemophilia physicians using Emicizumab in physicians treating hemophilia and using (PWHAs). With further post-marketing experience and trials, regular updates are necessary., Competing Interests: K.H. received honoraria for advisory boards, travel grants and/or speaker fees from Bayer, Biotest, Chugai, CSL Behring, NovoNordisk, Pfizer, Roche, Shire/Takeda and Sobi, and unrestricted research grants from Bayer, CSL Behring and Pfizer. M.A. received honoraria for advisory boards, travel grants, speaker fees and/or research funding from Biogen, Biotest, Novo Nordisk, Roche, Shire and Sobi. C.B. received honoraria for advisory boards, travel grants, research funding and/or speaker fees from Bayer, Biotest, CSL Behring, NovoNordisk, Pfizer, Roche, Shire/Takeda and Sobi. C.B. is investigator in the STASEY Trial (Roche). C.B. and C.K. are principal investigators of the German Pediatric Haemophilia Research Database (GEPHARD). GEPHARD is funded by manufacturers of haemophilia drugs. S.Ha. received honoraria for advisory boards or speaker's fees from Bayer, Baxalta/Shire/Takeda, Biotest, CSL Behring, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Octapharma and Pfizer, and research grants from Bayer, Shire/Takeda, Biotest, CSL Behring, Novo Nordisk, Octapharma and Pfizer. S.He. received honoraria for advisory boards or speaker's fees from Bayer, Shire/Takeda, CSL Behring, Biotest, NovoNordisk, Pfizer, Roche and Sobi. R.K. has acted as a consultant, received speaker's fees and/or research funding from Bayer Healthcare, Biomarin, Biotest, CSL Behring, Grifols, Octapharma, Pfizer, NovoNordisk, Sanofi, Shire/Takeda, Sobiand Roche/Chugai. C.K. received honoraria for advisory boards, travel grants and/or speaker fees from Bayer, BFSH, Biotest, Bioverativ, CSL Behring, MSD, NovoNordisk, Pfizer, Roche, Shire and Sobi, and unrestricted research grants from the European Union, FP7 IMI, DFG, BMBF, FSKK-Foundation, Abbvie, Bayer, Biotest, Bioverativ, CSL Behring, Gilead, Intersero, Jansen, NovoNordisk, PENTA Foundation, Pfizer, Roche/Chugai, Shire and Sobi. K.K. received grants, travel support and/or lecture fees from Bayer, Biotest, CSL Behring, NovoNordisk, Roche, Sobi, Shire/Takeda and honoraria for advisory board from Shire/Takeda. C.M. has received personal honoraria (consultancy, speaker, chair) from Bayer, Biotest, CSL Behring, NovoNordisk, Roche; fees to the institution for study participation from Bayer, Shire/Takeda, Biotest, CSL Behring, NovoNordisk, Sobi; unrestricted grants to institution from Biotest, CSL Behring; travel support from Bayer, Biotest, CSL Behring, NovoNordisk. J.O. received reimbursement for attending symposia/congresses and/or honoraria for speaking and/or honoraria for consulting, and/or funds for research from Bayer, Biogen Idec, Biotest, Chugai, CSL-Behring, Freeline, Grifols, Novo Nordisk, Octapharma, Pfizer, Roche, Sparks, Swedish Orphan Biovitrum and Takeda. W.S. has received honoraria and research funding from Biotest, Octapharma, Pfizer, Sobiand Shire/Takeda. W.S. has been a member of expert panels and advisory committees from NovoNordisk, Roche, Sobi and Shire/Takeda. C.W. is an employee at Werlhof-Institut, received honoraria from Bayer, Biotest, CSL-Behring, LFB, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Shire and Sobi, and acted as a consultant in advisory boards for Bayer, CSL-Behring, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Shire and Sobi. C.E.E has acted as a consultant, received speaker's fees and/or research funding from Bayer Healthcare, Biotest, CSL Behring, Grifols, Octapharma, NovoNordisk, Shire/Takeda, Sobi, Roche/Chugai, Alnylam and Kedrion., (Thieme. All rights reserved.)

This report describes the technical features and potential advantages of the application of electronic haemophilia treatment diary smart medication and an evaluation of real-life electronic treatment data collected from haemophilia patients. Since 2012, a total of 663 patients from 30 German haemophilia treatment centres (HTCs) have used the device. Data of nine HTCs were merged for real-life data analysis. Patients were divided into four subgroups according to above versus below mean values for annual factor consumption (AFC) and annual joint bleeds (AJB), respectively. The largest subgroup comprised patients with low mean AFC and AJB less than 2.25 (group A: 42%). Second largest was the group with low mean AJB but high AFC (group B: 32%), suggesting that resources could be saved in some patients. The group with low AFC but high AJB may need increased factor dosing (group D: 13%). Patients who showed a high mean AJB despite high AFC (group C: 13%) may require special medical attention, such as pharmacokinetic-adapted treatment modification or orthopaedic measures. ™ and an evaluation of real-life electronic treatment data collected from haemophilia patients. Since 2012, a total of 663 patients from 30 German haemophilia treatment centres (HTCs) have used the device. Data of nine HTCs were merged for real-life data analysis. Patients were divided into four subgroups according to above versus below mean values for annual factor consumption (AFC) and annual joint bleeds (AJB), respectively. The largest subgroup comprised patients with low mean AFC and AJB less than 2.25 (group A: 42%). Second largest was the group with low mean AJB but high AFC (group B: 32%), suggesting that resources could be saved in some patients. The group with low AFC but high AJB may need increased factor dosing (group D: 13%). Patients who showed a high mean AJB despite high AFC (group C: 13%) may require special medical attention, such as pharmacokinetic-adapted treatment modification or orthopaedic measures. Smart medication ™ enables the HTC to quickly identify patients in need of treatment changes and, thus, to plan individualized therapy modifications prior to patient visits. The growing pool of real-life data facilitates data analysis and may play an important role in the optimization of resource distribution., Competing Interests: Disclosure The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work., (Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)

Inherited disorders of platelet function are a heterogeneous group. For optimal prevention and management of bleeding, classification and diagnosis of the underlying defect are highly recommended. An interdisciplinary guideline for a diagnostic approach has been published (AWMF # 086-003 S2K; Hämostaseologie 2014; 34: 201-212). Underlying platelet disorder, platelet count, age and clinical situation modify treatment. Exclusive transfusion of platelet concentrates may be inappropriate as potentially adverse effects can outweigh its benefit. A stepwise and individually adjusted approach for restitution and maintenance of haemostasis is recommended. Administration of antifibrinolytics is generally endorsed, but is of particular use in Quebec disease. Restricted to older children, desmopressin is favourable in storage pool disease and unclassified platelet disorders. Although licensed only for patients with Glanzmann thrombasthenia and alloantibodies, in clinical practice rFVIIa is widely used in inherited platelet disorders with severe bleeding tendency. This guideline aims at presenting the best available advice for the management of patients with inherited platelet function disorders.

Unlabelled: Here, we report about a boy (age: 18 years) who developed an acquired factor VIII inhibitor at the age of 9 years. He presented with bleeding in his right ankle, multiple haematomas and a high-titer factor VIII type II inhibitor (400 BU)., Therapy: He received treatment with MMF (CellCept®), dexamethasone-immunoglobulin pulses, and rituximab together with high dose FVIII (Hannover protocol). His inhibitor titer decreased rapidly, and half-life and recovery normalized. Inhibitor titres increased after reduction of the factor VIII dose, and increased further after MMF was stopped. A second treatment course with MMF again resulted in reduction of the titre, improvement in half life and recovery, and no more bleedings. Inhibitor reappeared with MMF dose reduction, again accompanied by severe bleeding. Additional rituximab stopped the bleedings, and treatment with MMF has been continued since., Conclusion: Although the laboratory parameters showed no complete remission, severe bleedings and expensive factor replacement could be avoided by long-term treatment with MMF.

Unlabelled: The development of inhibitors in haemophilia B is one of the most important complications of replacement therapy, affecting mortality and morbidity. Inhibitor development is based on complex immunological factors, and to date, only little is known about its underlying mechanisms. Here, we present first results of the haemophilia B group of our Inhibitor-Immunology study., Patients, Methods: So far we have analysed 15 patients with haemophilia B. Four of them developed a high titre inhibitor; the remaining 11 had no inhibitor. We evaluated 9 SNPs in 8 genes (CD40, CTLA-4 , IL-1β, IL-10, TLR2 , TLR4, TLR9, TNF-α). We compared the distribution of these alleles between inhibitor and non-inhibitor haemophilia B patients and between haemophilia B patients and a normal male control population. HLA typing was performed in all patients. Results, discussion: There appears to be a trend towards a skewed distribution of TLR 9, IL-10 and CTLA4 alleles in haemophilia B patients. Due to the limited number these differences are, however, not statistically significant. The t-test of all patients with inhibitor versus without inhibitor was significant for HLA-A*03 and DPB1*0401 and borderline for DRB1*0201.

Unlabelled: The development of inhibitors is one of the most important complications of replacement therapy in haemophilia, affecting mortality and morbidity. Inhibitor development is based on complex immunological factors. Cytokines and their receptors, T-cell receptors, and the Major Histocompatibility Complex may play important roles in the development of inhibitors. Earlier studies showed non significant associations between HLA class and inhibitor development. Later studies found an increased risk of inhibitor development if there was a combination between certain factor VIII mutations and HLA antigens. We performed HLA typing in 50 patients with haemophilia A in an effort to find associations with inhibitor development., Results: 25 patients had developed an inhibitor (11 low titre, 14 high titre), and 25 never had. In logistic regression analysis, HLA-A 34, DRB1 0405, DRB1 1301 seemed to be involved in inhibitor development and HLA-A 30, B 13, B15, B 57, Cw 12, DQB1 0303, DPB1 0201 protection against inhibitor development. In our patients, the HLA-associations with inhibitor development were different from those in previous publications.

To diagnose von Willebrand disease (vWD) and to monitor drug efficacy, several tests have been established that are not, however, focused on the platelet adhesion properties of von Willebrand factor (vWF). The new platelet retention test Homburg (RTH) is characterized by a nonthrombogenic filter that retains platelets from blood when it is pressed through this filter. It was the aim of this study to examine the capability of this test to monitor the adhesive properties of vWF after its substitution in vWD or its release by desmopressin infusion. The RTH demonstrated a striking sensitivity for vWF after its release from endogenous storage sites or its supplementation in vivo as well as in vitro, whereas it did not detect an inhibition of platelet aggregability due to aspirin. Desmopressin infusions led to an immediate and highly significant increase of RTH platelet retention, followed by a gradual decline to initial values during the next 4 hours. The transfusion of a vWF concentrate also resulted in RTH data that demonstrated different kinetics than established parameters such as vWF:antigen, vWF:RiCoF, or the PFA-100 in vitro bleeding analysis. Additional in vitro experiments confirmed the correlation of RTH values with vWF concentrations. In conclusion, the RTH may be efficient to complement presently used measures to monitor vWD therapy with desmopressin or vWF concentrates.

Platelet plug formation is initiated by the process of platelet adhesion, mainly mediated by the von Wille-brand factor (VWF). Therefore, apart from established criteria the platelet adhesion property is a further criterion to determine VWF e. g. in diagnosis and treatment of von Willebrand disease (VWD). The new platelet retention test Homburg (RTH) is designed to close this gap. It is characterized by its non-thrombogenic filter with interconnecting pores, which retains platelets from blood when pressed through this filter due to the resulting shear stress. The RTH, in particular, proved to be highly sensitive in detecting the platelet adhesive property of VWF after its release from endogenous storage sites by desmopressin or infusion in VWD patients or its supplementation in vitro.

ACE displays potent vasoconstrictive effects, attenuation of fibrinolysis, and platelet activation and aggregation, thus possibly promoting venous thromboembolism (VTE). The ACE gene contains an insertion (I) or deletion (D) polymorphism accounting for 50% of the variation in serum ACE concentration. To evaluate the role of the I/D polymorphism in VTE, its prevalence was determined in 931 patients with VTE and 432 blood donors. The prevalence of the DD genotype was 27.6% in patients and 21.3% in controls (OR 1.4; p < 0.02). In multivariate analysis there was a trend of the DD genotype to be an independent risk factor (OR 1.4; p = 0.08). No differences in DD genotype prevalence according to exogenous risk factors were found. Coinheritance of FV G1691A, PT G20210A mutation, and PS deficiency with the DD genotype increased the relative risk of VTE. Thus, the ACE DD genotype is a moderate risk factor of hereditary thrombophilia. Exogenous risk factors did not alter the manifestation of VTE among carriers of the DD genotype, whereas coinheritance of the DD genotype with the aforementioned defects increased the risk for VTE considerably.

Background: The endothelial cell protein C receptor (EPCR) enhances protein C activation by the thrombin-thrombomodulin complex. As evidence is accumulating that EPCR is an important component of the protein C anticoagulant pathway, polymorphisms in the EPCR gene might be candidate risk factors predisposing to venous thromboembolism (VTE). Recently, a 23bp insertion in exon 3 of the EPCR gene has been identified, which duplicates the preceding 23 bases and results in a STOP codon downstream from the insertion point. However, the clinical significance of this mutation in VTE remains to be clarified., Methods and Results: In this study we evaluated the EPCR 23bp insertion in 889 patients with documented VTE and in 500 healthy controls. The prevalence of the EPCR insertion among patients was 0.1%, which was not significantly different compared to controls (0.6%, p = 0.1)., Conclusions: Our findings showed that the EPCR 23bp insertion is very rare in both patients with VTE and the general population and failed to support an association between the EPCR 23bp insertion and an increased risk of VTE.

It has been recently suggested that the clinical phenotype of severe hemophilia A (HA) is influenced by co-inheritance with the factor V G1691A mutation. We therefore investigated 124 pediatric PUP patients with hemophilia (A: n = 111) consecutively admitted to German pediatric hemophilia treatment centers. In addition to factor VIII activity, the factor V (FV) G1691A mutation, the prothrombin (PT) G20210A variant, antithrombin, protein C, protein S and antithrombin were investigated. 92 out of 111 HA patients (F VIII activity < 1%) were suffering from severe HA. The prevalence of prothrombotic risk factors in children with severe HA was no different from previously reported data: FV G1691A 6.5%, PT G20201A 3.2%, and protein C type I deficiency 1.1%. No deficiency states of antithrombin or protein S were found in this cohort of hemophilic patients. The first symptomatic bleeding leading to diagnosis of severe hemophilia (< 1%) occurred with a median (range) age of 1.6 years (0.5-7.1) in children carrying defects within the protein C pathway or the PT gene mutation compared with non-carriers of prothrombotic risk factors (0.9 years (0.1-4.0; p = 0.01). The cumulative event-free bleeding survival was significantly prolonged in children carrying additionally prothrombotic defects (log-rank/Mantel-Cox: p = 0.0098). In conclusion, data of this multicenter cohort study clearly demonstrate that the first symptomatic bleeding onset in children with severe HA carrying prothrombotic risk factors is significantly later in life than in non-carriers.