Prevalence of hemophilia in women and girls in Burkina Faso

Abstract

Despite being primarily affecting males, hemophilia, a X-linked bleeding disorder, can also concern women and girls (WG) who are hemophilia carriers (HC), as they can display FVIII or FIX levels < 40% and, or, bleeding manifestations even with normal levels of FVIII or IX. We sought to investigate the prevalence of hemophilia in women and girl relatives of persons with hemophilia in Burkina Faso. A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted from September 2021 to September 2023. Female relatives of male persons with hemophilia (PwH) currently followed-up at hospitals were included after providing a written consent and completing the ISTH bleeding assessment questionnaire. Blood samples were collected for hemostasis (Prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, Factor VIII or IX level) and other (Complete Blood Count, C-reactive protein; ABO/Rh blood typing) tests. Overall, 94 WG relatives of PwH participated. Their mean age being 34.2 ± 11.4 years. Seven out of 92 tested (7.6%) exhibited FVIII or FIX levels between 6% and 39% and then had been identified as WGH. Common bleeding symptoms were bleeding from the oral cavity and menorrhagia. We highlighted the high value of FVIII/IX testing for female relatives to PwH.