Clinical Research Directory

The CACHE Study: Coronary Artery Care in HaEmophilia

The investigators will use state-of-the-art imaging to look at heart disease in people with haemophilia. Haemophilia is an inherited disorder in which blood does not clot properly because of lack of a key 'glue' blood component (chemicals known as factor VIII or IX). People with haemophilia are 40% less likely to die of heart disease, but it is not known exactly why this is. Understanding heart disease in people with haemophilia is important because better treatments for haemophilia mean that these patients are now living longer, but doctors still don't know if the risk for heart disease in these patients as they age is the same as that for the general population. If these processes are better understand (perhaps less blood clotting is actually protecting the heart from blockage-causing clots), scientists might be able to reduce the risk of heart attacks for everybody. The UK's first photon-counting detector cardiac CT scanner generates detailed images of the heart and its blood vessels by counting individual X-ray photons. Together with artificial intelligence tools, it is possible to extract a lot of information from these images. As people age, fat is deposited in the vessels which supply blood to the heart which forms plaques. Plaques cause narrowing of the vessels, reducing blood flow to the heart, and can also burst (rupture), leading to a blood clot and heart attack. The new CT scan will show the type and amount of plaques, and quantify the risk of plaque rupture, in people with haemophilia; and the investigators will compare this to people without haemophilia. Understanding the role of factor VIII/IX in heart attacks will improve management of heart disease in people with haemophilia, and may also lead to new prevention and treatment strategies that benefit heart health for everyone.

Determinants and Consequences of the Transition to Adulthood for Adolescents With Severe Haemophilia: TRANSHEMO 2, an Ancillary Study to the TRANSHEMO Project

Haemophilia is a rare genetic disorder which, in its severe form and in the absence of treatment, can be life-threatening. Since the 1960s and the introduction of coagulation factor concentrates, the life expectancy of people with haemophilia has increased rapidly. Today, for most affected individuals, the disease is experienced as a chronic condition. The transition process enabling adolescents and young adults (AYA) with a chronic disease to move into adult life can be complex, as they must face all the changes experienced by AYA in general, combined with issues related to their chronic condition and its management. A successful transition involves a transfer of responsibility from parents to AYA regarding the management of their health condition, as well as the acquisition by AYA of knowledge, skills and autonomy. A difficult transition may lead to decreased adherence to follow-up or treatment, deterioration of overall health status and/or quality of life, or difficulties in entering adult life. In this context, the national cross-sectional study TRANSHEMO was initiated in 2017. Its objective was to compare adherence to healthcare management between two groups of AYA with severe haemophilia (adolescents \[for whom the transition is ongoing\] versus young adults \[for whom the transition may have been completed\]), and to identify the determinants of this adherence. The results showed that young adults had a lower adherence rate than adolescents (82.2% vs. 61.2%, p\<0.001). Among the determinants studied, being a young adult, having repeated at least one school year, and presenting psychological and emotional difficulties were factors that had a negative effect on adherence to healthcare management. However, the cross-sectional nature of the study represents a limitation that restricts causal inference. Complementing this project with a longitudinal study would address this limitation. The results obtained from this new study (TRANSHEMO 2) may contribute to the literature by providing insights into both the determinants of sustained adherence to healthcare management among adolescents with severe haemophilia who become young adults, and the associations between these determinants. The longitudinal design of the project will allow the establishment of a higher level of causal inference between the maintenance of adherence during the transition to adult life and its determinants, which represents a major epidemiological strength. Moreover, results addressing the issue of transition in the context of chronic diseases and derived from longitudinal studies remain scarce, making the findings of this project particularly original. Finally, haemophilia, a relatively frequent condition among rare diseases, could represent an interesting model for understanding the impact of transition in this type of pathology. Study hypothesis The extent of the reduction in adherence to healthcare during the transition process, and/or the determinants of the maintenance of adherence identified in the longitudinal TRANSHEMO 2 project, may differ from those highlighted in the original cross-sectional TRANSHEMO project. Specific aims Main objective: To compare the rate of adherence to healthcare among adolescents who participated in the TRANSHEMO project, using data collected during the original TRANSHEMO study when they were adolescents (before transition) and data to be collected as part of the TRANSHEMO 2 study when they have become young adults (after transition). Secondary objective: To identify the determinants of the maintenance of this adherence and the associations between these determinants, within the framework of a longitudinal study.

A Study to Investigate the Course of Synovial Hypertrophy in Patients With Haemophilia A on Efanesoctocog Alfa Prophylaxis

The rationale for conducting this open-label phase 4 study is to assess whether once-weekly prophylaxis with efanesoctocog alfa (50 IU/kg) improves the disease course of existing synovial hypertrophy and prevents the risk of joint bleeds in patients with moderate or severe haemophilia A. The use of imaging assessments will allow for objective detection and monitoring of synovial hypertrophy, and thus expand on the previous findings demonstrating positive effects of once-weekly prophylaxis with efanesoctocog alfa (50 IU/kg) on joint health.

Defeat Rare Disease in Asia and Pacific (APAC) DRDA - Haemophilia

This study will help to better understand the course of disease in people with haemophilia (A or B \[with or without inhibitors\]) and the haemophilia care scenario in the selected countries and the experience so far in dealing with the condition. This is a survey-based study; hence no medications or other treatments will be provided to participants as a part of this study.

Synovial Proliferation on Routine Ultrasound: Active or Inactive?

There is cumulating evidence for the presence of non-observed or subclinical joint bleeding in patients with haemophilia. Early detection of active subclinical synovial proliferation would allow early intervention in order to prevent deterioration of joint health. Patients with subclinical (=non-observed) signs of synovial proliferation in knee(s), ankle(s) and/or elbow(s) will be invited to participate in this study to further characterize the synovial proliferation status (active or inactive) by means of physical examination, MRI, ultrasound and elastography. Synovial proliferation status will be monitored for a maximum period of 12 weeks, during which participants will also receive standard-of-care treatment, i.e. administration of optimized coagulation factor replacement therapy and prescription of the NSAID celecoxib (optional).