Movement behaviour patterns in adults with haemophilia

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Sports Medicine
• Rehabilitation

Background:

• Joint bleeds are characteristic of hemophilia, potentially leading to disabling arthropathy.
• Movement behaviors in adults with hemophilia differ significantly from healthy individuals.
• A single metric may not fully capture the complexity of movement behavior in this population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify distinct movement behavior patterns in people with hemophilia (PWH).
• To compare clinical characteristics across identified movement behavior patterns.
• To understand how different movement behaviors relate to health outcomes in PWH.

Main Methods:

• 105 PWH (70% severe hemophilia, median age 43) were analyzed.
• Hierarchical cluster analysis was applied to seven movement parameters (sitting, walking, biking, running, active bout frequency/length).
• Clinical data included joint health (Haemophilia Joint Health Score), physical functioning (Haemophilia Activity List, 40m walk test), and pain (Numerical Pain Rating Score).

Main Results:

• Three movement patterns emerged: 'sedentary' (57%), 'bikers and runners' (22%), and 'walkers' (20%).
• The 'bikers and runners' group exhibited superior joint health and fewer activity limitations compared to 'walkers' and 'sedentary' groups.
• 'Walkers' reported fewer limitations than the 'sedentary' group, with similar joint health.
• No significant differences in pain, walking speed, or age were found between clusters.

Conclusions:

• Three distinct movement behavior patterns were identified in people with hemophilia.
• The majority of PWH fall into a 'sedentary' pattern.
• Minimizing sedentary time and incorporating regular walking appear beneficial for PWH, potentially improving joint health and functional capacity.