Abstract Number: PB0602
Meeting: ISTH 2022 Congress
Theme: COVID and Coagulation » COVID and Coagulation, Basic Science
Background: Haemophilia is a genetic bleeding disorder caused by the deficiency of clotting factor-VIII or factor-IX. The challenge to have access to factor VIII and IX concentrate could have been compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic and affected the health and lifestyle of haemophilia patients in an already low resourced lower-middle-income country like Ghana.
Aims: This study was aimed at determining the effect of COVID-19 on prolonged Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time (aPTT) among haemophilia ‘A’ patients in the middle belt of Ghana.
Methods: We retrospectively evaluated, for 12 months before the COVID -19 pandemic and followed up on 45 haemophilia patients during the pandemic for this study. Questionnaires were administered to the study participants. Blood samples were collected before the COVID-19 pandemic. Further samples were collected in the pandemic period into citrate tubes and tested for aPTT. SPSS v21 was used for the analysis of the data and P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: We found that aPTT test result of study participants increased significantly from the pre-pandemic to the pandemic period (68.04±15.97s to 160.80±87.90s, p < 0.001) Also, there was a statistically significant increase between aPTT results of participants that could not visit the clinic during the pandemic to participants who visited (194.6±86.5s to 128.4±77.9s, p = 0.009). Finally, the comparison of aPTT of participants who were impacted by COVID-19 restrictions to that of those who did not suffer restrictions was statistically different (168.3±87.6s to 124.3±81.2s, p = 0.042), with those who suffered restrictions having prolonged aPTT results.
Conclusion(s): We observed a very high increase in the aPTT of in the pandemic period compared to the pre-pandemic period. Patients who suffered government restrictions and could not travel to assess health centres and patients who could not visit the hospital during the pandemic had a prolonged aPTT making them susceptible to prolonged bleeding episodes.
Impact of COVID-19 on aPTT among hemophilia A patients
Comparing the impact of COVID-19 on the aPTT test results seen before the onset of the pandemic and during the pandemic periods
Impact of Clinic visit on aPTT during the COVID-19 pandemic and Impact of COVID-19 restrictions on aPTT during the COVID-19 pandemic
Assessing the impact of the lack of access to the clinic and the effect of the movement restrictions to the health and wellbeing of the heamophliia patients
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
OFOSU D, Obirikorang C, Ngala R, Asamoah A, Tuekpe Mawuli R, Owusu E, Quarshie S, Owusu Banahene A, Titus M, Asare Amponsah G. THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON THE HEALTH AND LIFESTYLE HEMOPHILIA PATIENTS IN A LOW RESOURCED COUNTRY AND ITS EFFECT ON THEIR ACTIVATED PARTIAL THROMBOPLASTIN TIME (aPTT) RESULTS [abstract]. https://abstracts.isth.org/abstract/the-impact-of-covid-19-pandemic-on-the-health-and-lifestyle-hemophilia-patients-in-a-low-resourced-country-and-its-effect-on-their-activated-partial-thromboplastin-time-aptt-results/. Accessed October 2, 2023.« Back to ISTH 2022 Congress
ISTH Congress Abstracts - https://abstracts.isth.org/abstract/the-impact-of-covid-19-pandemic-on-the-health-and-lifestyle-hemophilia-patients-in-a-low-resourced-country-and-its-effect-on-their-activated-partial-thromboplastin-time-aptt-results/