Genotype-Phenotype Relationship Among 1200 Unrelated White Patients with Inherited FVII Deficiency: A Three-Center Database Study

Background: Congenital factor VII (FVII) deficiency is a rare bleeding disorder caused by mutations in F7 gene with autosomal recessive inheritance. A clinical heterogeneity with poor correlation with FVII:C levels has been described. Aim of this study was to identify genetic defects and to evaluate their relationships with clinical phenotype in a large cohort of 1228 white patients with FVII:C below the age-dependent cut-off %. Methods: Probands with confirmed inherited factor VII deficiency were i) genotyped (Sanger method & multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification [MLPA]) for F7 mutations including common polymorphic variants and were ii) classified according to clinical bleeding scores (BC). In addition, common thrombophilic variants and blood groups were determined. Results: Probands included asymptomatic subjects (referred for laboratory work up of recurrent prolonged prothrombin time; n=415; mean age 30 + 19 yrs.; female 52%) and patients who presented with mild, moderate or severe bleeding episodes (n=805; mean age 34 + 18 yrs.; female 70%). Bleeding symptoms included epistaxis, gum bleeding, GI bleeding, hematuria, postoperative and gynecologic hemorrhage. Median FVII activity (entire cohort) measured with clotting-based assays (ACL TOP 750 and/or BCS-XP) was 49% (range 5-78%) and the median ISTH BS recorded within a period of two years prior to work-up was 1(0-17). The latter was significantly higher in women compared with males (2 versus 1; p < 0.001). The corresponding PBAC-Score prior to hormonal treatment was 163 (25-1200). Blood group 0 was present in 40.6% of cases. Known and novel mutations in the F7 gene, including coding regions, exon/intron boundaries and the promoter region, are found in 534 patients (44%) and common polymorphisms were detected in 666 subjects (95%). Logistic regression analysis adjusted for clinical and laboratory data (blood group, FVII activity, presence of F7 gene mutations and /or polymorphisms, thrombophilia status and further factor deficiencies) revealed that older age (increase per year) at referral (odds/95% CI: 1.01/1.007-1.025) and female gender (odds/95% CI: 3.25/2.35-4.50) in part explain differences in clinical bleeding phenotype associated with FVII deficiency. Conclusion: Overall there is poor correlation between the FVII level and the bleeding phenotype. Older patients and females are more likely to have symptomatic disease as a result of gynecological or muco-cutaneous bleeding. Disclosures Kenet: Alnylam: Consultancy, Research Funding; Bayer: Consultancy, Research Funding; Opko Biologics: Research Funding; Pfizer: Consultancy, Research Funding; Shire: Research Funding; Novo Nordisk: Consultancy; Roche: Consultancy; Takeda: Consultancy.

Evaluation of Global Coagulation Tests for Monitoring Bleeding Phenotypes and Response to Treatments in FVII Deficiency

Introduction: The management of Factor (F) VII deficiency is complex due to the lack of a clear correlation between FVII levels and the bleeding manifestations of the patients, with a variety of responses to the treatments. Additionally,the presence of FVII inhibitors may also occur. Thus, it is essential to be able to monitoring the hemostatic profile and the effect of the different therapies in each patient individually. Our aim was to perform a personalized analysis of the coagulation status of patients with FVII deficiency and to evaluate their response to new potential therapies using five different coagulation tests. Methods: Six patients were included (clinical data in Table-1):4 with bleeding symptoms on prophylaxis with recombinant activated FVII (rFVIIa), one of them with FVII inhibitors; and 2 untreated patients without bleeding episodes. Blood samples obtained from patients on prophylaxis were collected predose. Prothrombine time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT)were tested using HemosIL ® RecombiPlasTin 2G, and SynthASil respectively. Rotational Thromboelastometry (ROTEM ®) was performed for monitoring the clot formation using blood with corn trypsin inhibitor (CTI) to inhibit contact activation and a low amount of Tissue Factor (TF) as trigger (dilution 1:50,000 of EXTEM reagent). The thrombin generation (TG) was tested with the Calibrated Automated Thrombogram (CAT) system using platelet poor plasma (PPP) obtained from blood with CTI and activated with only 1 pM TF plus phospholipids (PPP-Low ®, Stago). The plasmin generation (PG) was measured in citrated PPP using a comercial kit (Synapse). The total thrombus-formation analysis system (T-TAS ®, Zacros) was conducted by loading CTI blood samples in AR-chips coated with collagen and thromboplastin for assessing thrombus formation mediated by the activation of the coagulation under flow conditions (High shear). The Area under the flow pressure curve (AUC) was calculated over 30 min after starting. Effects of ex vivo spiking doses of factor replacement (rFVIIa) or non-factor replacement treatments (anti-TFPI, clone mAb2021, Creative Biolabs) were tested. Results: aPTT values remained normal in all patients. FVII deficiency significantly affected PT and patients with more severe bleeding phenotype (patient #1, 2, 3, and 4) showed much longer PT values. Similarly, ROTEM and T-TAS assays showed that FVII deficiency only caused an important delayed clotting time (CT) and very anomalous thrombus formation (AUC) in patients with severe bleeding symptoms.More prolonged lag time (LT) and an important decrease in the peak of thrombin and plasmin generation was also observed in the same patients (#1, 2, 3, and 4). Patient #1 with FVII inhibitors presented a more affected hemostatic profile according to all the coagulation parameters obtained with the five different assays. In contrast, the patients #4 and #5 with absence of bleeding complications showed most of these values within the normal reference range obtained from healthy controls. Concentrations of 1µg/ml (equivalent to 90 μg/kg) of the factor-replacement treatment rFVIIa, showed the normalization of the PT, the clotting time (CT), and the restoration of the thrombin and plasmin generation, and the regularization of the coagulation-dependent thrombus formation in all the patients. In vitro spiking with anti-TFPI (400-800 ng/ml), an alternative non-factor replacement treatment,corrected the thrombus formation (AUC) defects under high shear flow observed in the patients, and produced a significant reduction of CT and LT, and increments of thrombin generation although less effectively than the factor replacement therapy. Conclusions: All the global tests, performed with the described conditions in this study, were sensitive enough to show an abnormal hemostatic profile in the FVII-deficient patients with worst clinical symptoms, validating their use to monitor the risk of bleeding events and the responses to different treatments in this deficiency. These assays may allow to monitoring more personalized treatments to these patients. The results also pointed to the possibility that inhibition of TFPI might be useful for treatment of patients with FVII deficiency, opening the idea of its usage especially as an alternative therapy for patients with inhibitors. Research funded by ISCIII-Fondos FEDER PI19/00772 and PI19/00631 Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Alvarez Román: Pfizer: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Sobi: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Biomarin: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Octapharma: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Novo-Nordisk: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Grifols: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; CSL-Behring: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Bayer: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding. García Barcenilla: Roche: Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Speakers Bureau; SOBI: Speakers Bureau; Bayer: Speakers Bureau. Canales: Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Karyopharm: Consultancy, Honoraria; Incyte: Consultancy; Sanofi: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria; F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; iQone: Honoraria; Sandoz: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Eusa Pharma: Consultancy, Honoraria; Celgene/Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Honoraria; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Gilead/Kite: Consultancy, Honoraria. Butta: CSL-Behring: Research Funding; Roche: Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Novo-Nordisk: Speakers Bureau. Jiménez-Yuste: Octapharma: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Sobi: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; BioMarin: Consultancy; Pfizer: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; CSL Behring: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Bayer: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; NovoNordisk: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Grifols: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Sanofi: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding.

Preventing Surgical and Postpartum Hemorrhage in an Active Duty Patient With an Undiagnosed Coagulopathy at a Military Treatment Facility

ABSTRACT Factor VII (FVII) deficiency is a hereditary bleeding disorder that significantly increases the risk of hemorrhage during the intrapartum and postpartum periods as well as during surgery. Management often requires careful pre- and post-operative planning, a multi-disciplinary approach, and management at a tertiary center. Most cases in the literature utilized recombinant FVII for treatment. We present a case of a young active duty female who had an undiagnosed FVII deficiency that became apparent during her expedited delivery for fetal distress. Our patient was admitted for delivery while undergoing a work up for an abnormal coagulation panel. Given high suspicion for FVII deficiency, anticipated hemorrhage, and need for cesarean delivery, she was treated with blood products containing FVII. Two days after delivery her diagnosis was confirmed. Available literature discusses the management of known FVII deficiency in pregnancy; however, to the best of our knowledge, there are no cases of an unknown bleeding diathesis incidentally identified just before delivery and later diagnosed as FVII deficiency. This case highlights the appropriate management of an unknown coagulopathy, the significant challenges associated, and the incorporation of a multi-disciplinary team critical to reducing significant maternal morbidity.

Inhibitor in Congenital Factor VII Deficiency; a Rare but Serious Therapeutic Challenge—A Systematic Literature Review

Background: Congenital factor (F) VII deficiency is a rare coagulation factor deficiency with an estimated incidence of 1 per 500,000 individuals. Patients with severe FVII deficiency present a broad range of clinical presentations. Alloimmunization against exogenous FVII, as the main challenge of replacement therapy, is an extremely rare phenomenon that is accompanied by a high rate of life-threatening bleeding, that renders replacement therapy less effective. Due to the importance of the issue, we performed a systematic literature review in order to assess incidence, molecular basis, clinical presentations, and therapeutic challenge and management of inhibitor in congenital FVII deficiency. Strategy of search: This systematic review was performed in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. We performed an English-language literature review in the PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases, using the following keywords: “factor VII inhibitor”, “factor VII inhibitors”, “FVII inhibitors”, “congenital FVII deficiency”, “recombinant factor VII”, “anti rFVIIa”, “replacement therapy”, and “alloantibody”. Results: Out of 380 patients in the 13 studies, 27 had inhibitor against FVII; 18 were male, 7 were female, while the sex of 2 was not stated. The majority (92%) developed a high-titer inhibitor (Bethesda Unit > 5). All patients had severe FVII deficiency (FVII:C < 10%), and the majority received recombinant FVII prior to inhibitor development (N: 24, 89%). Among ten patients with a detected mutation, three subjects had a common non-sense (30%), and two had a deletion (20%). Conclusions: Inhibitor development is a relatively rare phenomenon seen only in severe FVII deficiency, where it is associated with severe and life-threatening presentations, treatment challenge, and economic burden on the patients and their families.

Biochemical, molecular and clinical aspects of coagulation factor VII and its role in hemostasis and thrombosis

Activated factor VII (FVIIa), the first protease of clotting, expresses its physiological procoagulant potential only after complexing with tissue factor (TF) exposed to blood. Deep knowledge of the FVIIa-TF complex and F7 gene helps to understand the Janus-faced clinical findings associated to low or elevated FVII activity (FVIIc). Congenital FVII deficiency, the most frequent among the recessively inherited bleeding disorders, is caused by heterogeneous mutations in the F7 gene. Complete FVII deficiency causes perinatal lethality. A wide range of bleeding symptoms, from life-threatening intracranial hemorrhage to mild mucosal bleeding, is observed in patients with apparently modest differences in FVIIc levels. Though clinically relevant FVIIc threshold levels are still uncertain, effective management, including prophylaxis, has been devised, substantially improving the quality of life of patients. The exposure of TF in diseased arteries fostered investigation on the role of FVII in cardiovascular disease. FVIIc levels were found to be predictors of cardiovascular death and to be markedly associated to F7 gene variation. These genotype-phenotype relationships are among the most extensively investigated in humans. Genome-wide analyses extended association to numerous loci that, together with F7, explain >50% of FVII level plasma variance. However, the ability of F7 variation to predict thrombosis was not consistently evidenced in the numerous population studies. Main aims of this review are to highlight i) the biological and clinical information that distinguishes FVII deficiency from the other clotting disorders and ii) the impact exerted by genetically predicted FVII level variation on bleeding as well as on the thrombotic states.

Successful use of recombinant activated factor VII administered via automated bolus pump following emergency laparoscopic appendectomy in a patient with mild congenital FVII deficiency: Case report

Surgery in patients with factor VII (FVII) deficiency may be complicated by severe bleeding, requiring regular bolus doses of replacement therapy. Eptacog alfa (activated) is a recombinant activated FVII (rFVIIa) used for the treatment of bleeds and perioperative management in patients with approved bleeding disorders, including FVII deficiency. We report that using the B-Braun Perfusor® Space syringe pump to automatically deliver regular bolus rFVIIa doses provided effective hemostasis and no safety concerns in a patient with mild FVII deficiency undergoing emergency laparoscopic appendectomy. Additional benefits included saving nursing/hospital resources, reducing treatment burden and reassurance for the patient/family, and healthcare providers.

Congenital Deficiency in Factor VII Revealed by Menorrhagia: Case Report

Factor VII (FVII) deficiency is the most common among rare inherited autosomal recessive bleeding disorders. It is a multifaceted disease because of the lack of a direct correlation between plasma levels of coagulation FVII and bleeding manifestations. Clinical phenotypes range from asymptomatic condition—even in homozygous subjects—to severe, life-threatening bleedings (e.g., central nervous system and gastrointestinal bleeding). Menorrhagia is a frequent type of bleeding in FVII deficiency, with a prevalence rate of two in three women aged 10 to 50 years and with a peak prevalence in teenagers. When menorrhagia is observed and once the gynecological causes are excluded, it is important to carry out a hemostasis assessment because, if an anomaly is found, specific treatment can be administered and preventive measures taken. Basic diagnostic work-up includes routine assays, prothrombin level, activated partial thromboplastin time and platelet count, followed by FVII coagulant activity measurement for isolated decreased prothrombin level. To confirm the diagnosis, FVII assay should be repeated at least once. Several treatment options are currently available for FVII deficiency: Recombinant activated Factor VII (rFVIIa), plasma-derived Factor VII, fresh frozen plasma and prothrombin complex concentrates. rFVIIa is the most used replacement therapy. Other medical therapies of menorrhagia includes hemostatic agents and hormonal treatments (combined oral contraceptives, levonorgestrel intrauterine devices), in combination or not with rFVIIa. We report the case of a fourteen-and-a-half-year-old girl who presented menorrhagia of great abundance at the age of thirteen, the exploration of which revealed a congenital deficit in FVII.