Application of whole-exome sequencing to direct the specific functional testing and diagnosis of rare inherited bleeding disorders in patients from the Öresund Region, Scandinavia

TY - JOUR

T1 - Application of whole-exome sequencing to direct the specific functional testing and diagnosis of rare inherited bleeding disorders in patients from the Öresund Region, Scandinavia

AU - Leinøe, Eva

AU - Zetterberg, Eva

AU - Kinalis, Savvas

AU - Østrup, Olga

AU - Kampmann, Peter

AU - Norström, Eva

AU - Andersson, Nadine

AU - Klintman, Jenny

AU - Qvortrup, Klaus

AU - Nielsen, Finn Cilius

AU - Rossing, Maria

N1 - © 2017 The Authors. British Journal of Haematology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

PY - 2017/10

Y1 - 2017/10

N2 - Rare inherited bleeding disorders (IBD) are a common cause of bleeding tendency. To ensure a correct diagnosis, specialized laboratory analyses are necessary. This study reports the results of an upfront diagnostic strategy using targeted whole exome sequencing. In total, 156 patients with a significant bleeding assessment tool score participated in the study, of which a third had thrombocytopenia. Eighty-seven genes specifically associated with genetic predisposition to bleeding were analysed by whole exome sequencing. Variants were classified according to the five-tier scheme. We identified 353 germline variants. Eight patients (5%) harboured a known pathogenic variant. Of the 345 previously unknown variants, computational analyses predicted 99 to be significant. Further filtration according to the Mendelian inheritance pattern, resulted in 59 variants being predicted to be clinically significant. Moreover, 34% (20/59) were assigned as novel class 4 or 5 variants upon targeted functional testing. A class 4 or 5 variant was identified in 30% of patients with thrombocytopenia (14/47) versus 11% of patients with a normal platelet count (12/109) (P < 0·01). An IBD diagnosis has a major clinical impact. The genetic investigations detailed here extricated our patients from a diagnostic conundrum, thus demonstrating that continuous optimization of the diagnostic work-up of IBD is of great benefit.

AB - Rare inherited bleeding disorders (IBD) are a common cause of bleeding tendency. To ensure a correct diagnosis, specialized laboratory analyses are necessary. This study reports the results of an upfront diagnostic strategy using targeted whole exome sequencing. In total, 156 patients with a significant bleeding assessment tool score participated in the study, of which a third had thrombocytopenia. Eighty-seven genes specifically associated with genetic predisposition to bleeding were analysed by whole exome sequencing. Variants were classified according to the five-tier scheme. We identified 353 germline variants. Eight patients (5%) harboured a known pathogenic variant. Of the 345 previously unknown variants, computational analyses predicted 99 to be significant. Further filtration according to the Mendelian inheritance pattern, resulted in 59 variants being predicted to be clinically significant. Moreover, 34% (20/59) were assigned as novel class 4 or 5 variants upon targeted functional testing. A class 4 or 5 variant was identified in 30% of patients with thrombocytopenia (14/47) versus 11% of patients with a normal platelet count (12/109) (P < 0·01). An IBD diagnosis has a major clinical impact. The genetic investigations detailed here extricated our patients from a diagnostic conundrum, thus demonstrating that continuous optimization of the diagnostic work-up of IBD is of great benefit.

KW - Blood Coagulation Disorders, Inherited

KW - Denmark

KW - Exome

KW - Female

KW - Genome-Wide Association Study

KW - Germ-Line Mutation

KW - Humans

KW - Male

KW - Sweden

KW - Clinical Trial

U2 - 10.1111/bjh.14863

DO - 10.1111/bjh.14863

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 28748566

SN - 0007-1048

VL - 179

SP - 308

EP - 322

JO - British Journal of Haematology

JF - British Journal of Haematology

IS - 2

ER -