Clinical burden of haemophilia in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates: real-world insights from the Malaffi platform

This study aims to understand the clinical burden of haemophilia by assessing the real-world patient profile, treatment, and healthcare utilization of people with haemophilia (PwH) in Abu Dhabi. A retrospective observational study was conducted using electronic health records from the Malaffi database (patient health information platform). Patients with a diagnosis of haemophilia A (ICD-10 D66) or haemophilia B (ICD-10 D67) between 1 January 2021, and 14 April 2023, and with documented haemophilia-related treatment, were included. Demographic characteristics, clinical presentation, comorbidities, treatment patterns, and healthcare encounters were analysed using descriptive statistics. A total of 146 PwH were identified, 83% (n = 121) presented with haemophilia A. Paediatric patients comprised 65% (n = 95) with mean age 6.3 ± 5.6 years and adults 35% (n = 51) with average age of 30.4 ± 10.1 years. Pain and swelling were the most common symptoms documented in both groups (77% paediatric; 88% adult). The most frequently identified comorbid conditions include joint/arthritic conditions among adults (75%) and anaemia among the paediatric patients (61%). PwH recorded 6052 healthcare encounters during the study period with a median of 10 visits per PwH per year. The ordered medications included 1422 prescriptions, and factor VIII (862 prescriptions) was the most prescribed medication. The study provides robust evidence on the clinical burden and intense utilization of healthcare resource of PwH in Abu Dhabi and offer foundation for future research and policy initiatives aimed at optimizing care delivery and resource allocation for PwH.