PB0602 - 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

Monday, July 11, 2022

6:30 PM – 7:30 PM

Location: Exhibition

Presentation Format: Virtual

Presenting Author(s)

DAVID N. OFOSU, PHDc

LECTURER
DEPT OF MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE (BASIC AND APPLIED BIOLOGY), UNIVERSITY OF ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCE
SUNYANI, Brong-Ahafo, Ghana

Co-Author(s)

CO

Christian Obirikorang

Professor
Dept of Molecular medicine, Kwame Nkurmah University of Science and Technology
kumasi, Ashanti, Ghana
RN

Robert Ngala

Professor
godwinfungamtama@gmail.com
kumasi, Ashanti, Ghana
AA

Akwasi Asamoah

technical instructor
Basic and applied biology dept, University of Energy and Natural Resources
sunyani, Brong-Ahafo, Ghana
RT

Ransford Tuekpe Mawuli

Undergraduate
Basic and applied biology dept, University of Energy and Natural Resources
sunyani, Brong-Ahafo, Ghana
EO

Emmanuel Owusu

technical instructor
Garden City University College
kumasi, Ashanti, Ghana
SQ

Seyram Angelina Quarshie

Undergraduate
Basic and applied biology dept, University of Energy and Natural Resources
sunyani, Brong-Ahafo, Ghana
AO

Amoa Rhonny Owusu Banahene

Undergraduate
Basic and applied biology dept, University of Energy and Natural Resources
sunyani, Brong-Ahafo, Ghana
MT

Maalinyuur Titus

Undergraduate
Basic and applied biology dept, University of Energy and Natural Resources
sunyani, Brong-Ahafo, Ghana
GA

Godwin Asare Amponsah

Undergraduate
Basic and applied biology dept, University of Energy and Natural Resources
sunyani, Brong-Ahafo, Ghana

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.