A retrospective cohort study on European Reference Network for Rare Vascular Diseases 5 outcome measures for Hereditary Haemorrhagic Telangiectasia in Denmark

BACKGROUND: Hereditary Haemorrhagic Telangiectasia (HHT) is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by several clinical symptoms including epistaxis, arteriovenous malformations (AVM), and telangiectasia. In 2018, European Reference Network for Rare Vascular Diseases (VASCERN) recommended five outcome measures for HHT-patients to guide health care providers, some with limited experience in treating HHT, and thereby maximizing the number of HHT-patients receiving good care. The outcome measures cover the following aspects: (1) 90% of the patients should receive a pulmonary AVM (PAVM) screening; (2) 90% of the patients should receive written advice on nosebleed; (3) 70% should be assessed for iron deficiency; (4) 100% of the patients should receive written advice on antibiotic (AB) prophylaxis prior to dental and surgical procedures, and (5) 100% of relevant patients should receive written advice on pregnancy. We have introduced the outcome measures as Benchmarks in our HHT-centre and wanted to evaluate the extend of implementation we have achieved. We constantly struggle to secure the best possible treatment of our HHT-patients. METHODS: The study was a non-interventional retrospective study. Data was collected manually from patient records and from the Danish HHT-database. RESULTS: A total of 180 HHT-patients were included, all diagnosed in the period from January 1st, 2016, to December 31st, 2020. All patients were screened for PAVM. We could confirm that 66% of patients who had epistaxis received thoroughly advice. Assessment for iron deficiency was performed in 80% of the adult patients. Thoroughly advice on AB prophylaxis was documented in 75%. Thoroughly advice on pregnancy was documented in 80% of female patients 15–45 years of age. There were no significant differences over time for any of the outcome measures. CONCLUSIONS: The Danish HHT-centre reached the target threshold for outcome measures 1 and 3. It could not be documented that the target thresholds for outcome measures 2, 4, and 5 were achieved. As information and education are a very important part of HHT care, focus on and documentation that all patients receive the relevant advice must be a priority in order to ensure best care.