We read with interest the study done by Loomans et al (1); wherein the authors have found that out of 148 deceased mild and moderate hemophilia patients, 62 (42%) expired due to excessive bleeding i.e. due to the disorder itself and out of these 12% died of intracranial (IC) bleed. Thus, the authors rightly conclude that non-severe hemophilia A patients also have an increased risk of death due to IC bleed and thus demonstrating the need for specialized care for these patients. India harbors the second highest number of patients with hemophilia globally, majority belonging to the poverty-stricken section (2). This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Essentials Factor VIII levels vary in mild and moderate hemophilia A (MHA) patients with the same mutation. We aimed to estimate the variation and determinants of factor VIII levels among MHA patients. Age and genotype explain 59% of the observed inter‐individual variation in factor VIII levels. Intra‐individual variation accounted for 45% of the variation in the three largest mutation groups.

BACKGROUND:The life expectancy of non-severe hemophilia A (HA) patients equals the life expectancy of the non-hemophilic population. However, data on the effect of inhibitor development on mortality and on hemophilia-related causes of death are scarce. The development of neutralizing factor VIII antibodies in non-severe HA patients may dramatically change their clinical outcome due to severe bleeding complications.OBJECTIVES:We assessed the association between the occurrence of inhibitors and mortality in patients with non-severe HA.METHODS:In this retrospective cohort study, clinical data and vital status were collected for 2709 non-severe HA patients (107 with inhibitors) who were treated between 1980 and 2011 in 34 European and Australian centers. Mortality rates for patients with and without inhibitors were compared.RESULTS:During 64,200 patient-years of follow-up, 148 patients died (mortality rate, 2.30 per 1000 person-years; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.96-2.70) at a median age of 64 years (interquartile range [IQR], 49-76). In 62 patients (42%) the cause of death was hemophilia related. Sixteen inhibitor patients died at a median age of 71 years (IQR, 60-81). In ten patients the inhibitor was present at time of death; seven of them died of severe bleeding complications. The all-cause mortality rate in inhibitor patients was > 5 times increased compared with that for those without inhibitors (age-adjusted mortality rate ratio, 5.6).CONCLUSION:Inhibitor development in non-severe hemophilia is associated with increased mortality. High rates of hemophilia-related mortality in this study indicate that non-severe hemophilia is not mild at all and stress the importance of close follow-up for these patients.