Bernard Soulier syndrome (BSS) is a rare disorder of platelets,
inherited mainly as an autosomal recessive trait. It is characterised by qualitative and quantitative defects of the platelet membrane glycoprotein (GP) Ib-IX-V complex. The main clinical characteristics are thrombocytopenia, prolonged bleeding time and the presence of giant platelets. Data selleck chemicals llc on the clinical course and outcome of pregnancy in women with Bernard Soulier syndrome is scattered in individual case reports. In this paper, we performed a systematic review of literature and identified 16 relevant articles; all case reports that included 30 pregnancies among 18 women. Primary postpartum haemorrhage was reported in 10 (33%) and secondary in 12 (40%) of pregnancies, requiring blood transfusion in 15 pregnancies. Two women had an emergency obstetric hysterectomy. Alloimmune thrombocytopenia was reported in 6 neonates, with one intrauterine death and one neonatal death. Bernard Soulier syndrome in pregnancy is
associated with a high risk of serious bleeding for the mother and the neonate. A multidisciplinary team approach and individualised management plan for such women are required to minimise these risks. An international registry is recommended to obtain further knowledge in managing women with this rare disorder. “
“Antibodies directed towards non-neutralizing epitopes on the factor VIII protein (FVIII) may be detected in patients with haemophilia A. We evaluated the prevalence of non-neutralizing antibodies, in 201 inhibitor-negative
brother pairs with severe haemophilia A, enrolled in the Malmö International see more Brother Study and the Haemophilia Inhibitor Genetics Study. To evaluate binding specificity of the antibodies, ELISA plates were coated with two recombinant full-length (FL) FVIII-products and one recombinant B-domain-deleted (BDD) product. Seventy-nine patients (39.3%) had a history of positive inhibitor titre measured by Bethesda assay, and FVIII antibodies were detected in 20 of them (25.3%). Additional 23 samples from subjects without a history of FVIII inhibitors were ELISA-positive corresponding to a frequency of non-neutralizing antibodies of 18.9%. The antibody response towards the different FVIII products MCE was heterogenous, and was raised not only towards the non-functional B-domain but also towards both FL-rFVIII and BDD-rFVIII. In patients considered successfully treated with immune tolerance induction, 25.4% had remaining FVIII antibodies. The number of families with an antibody response in all siblings was increased when the total antibody response was taken into account, further supporting the concept of a genetic predisposition of the immune response. Further studies and careful monitoring over time are required to appreciate the immune response on the risk of inhibitor development or recurrence in the future.