Genetic Factors of the Desmopressin Response in Carriers of Hemophilia A

Plain-language summary

Hemophilia A (HA) is a rare X-linked bleeding disorder caused by a deficiency in factor VIII (FVIII) affecting 1/5,000 males1. Carriers of HA are females carrying the pathogenic variant responsible for the familial HA at a heterozygous status. About 30% of HA carriers have low FVIII levels and can therefore have abnormal bleeding symptoms2,3. Such as males with moderate/mild HA, bleeding can be treated or prevented with either FVIII concentrates or desmopressin4,5. This drug acts as a vasopressin type 2-receptor (V2R) agonist that causes endothelial cells to rapidly secrete von Willebrand factor (VWF) and FVIII from Weibel-Palade bodies into the bloodstream6,7. However, the mechanism of action of post-DDAVP FVIII increase remains poorly understood in hemophilia A. One advantage of DDAVP is that it increases the level of endogenous FVIII, thus avoiding the need for potentially immunogenic exogenous FVIII. It is also cheaper than FVIII concentrates. Finally, it is more widely available in pharmacies in all hospitals with emergency rooms and surgical facilities. The FVIII response profile to DDAVP in carriers appears quite similar to that seen in men with mild/moderate HA8-11. A post-DDAVP increase in the FVIII level of 2-4 fold the basal level is usually observed. This FVIII response presents an important inter-individual variation making it necessary to carry out a therapeutic test before its use for the anti-hemorrhagic treatment. The basal FVIII level logically conditions the intensity of the post-DDAVP FVIII peak. However, other factors influencing the post-DDAVP FVIII response are very likely. Unfortunately, few series describing the FVIII response to DDAVP in HA carriers have been reported to date and they included too small numbers of patients to precisely analyze the factors of variation in the post-DDAVP FVIII pharmacokinetics (PK). Candy et al did not find any difference depending on the severity of the pathogenic variants for HA or on the age11. However, this study was carried out in a cohort including only 17 patients, therefore too small for a reliable statistical analysis. The GIDEHAC study (Genetic Influence of Desmopressin Efficacy in Hemophilia A Carriers) is a French study with the following objectives: the description of the post-DDAVP FVIII PK in a large retrospective cohort of HA carriers, the research of patients-related factors influencing this FVIII PK, and the building of predictive population- and Bayesian-based models.

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