Excess weight gain in the paediatric bleeding disorders population: Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in lifestyle changes for children. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of the pandemic on weight/BMI in children with severe bleeding disorders. Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of patients age 3–18 years with severe bleeding disorders on prophylactic therapy treated at SickKids Hospital (Toronto, Canada) between February 01, 2018 and March 31, 2021. We evaluated the following pre- and post-COVID variables: weight (kg), weight percentile, BMI (kg/m2), BMI percentile, HJHS score, and prophylactic dosing (units/kg). Results: One hundred and four patients were included in the final analysis. Diagnoses were as follows: haemophilia A (n = 92; 70.8%), haemophilia B (n = 17; 13.1%), type 3 von Willebrand disease (n = 11; 8.5%), the remainder were diagnosed with rare factor deficiencies. Median interval time from pre-COVID measurements to latest follow-up was 12.4 months (IQR 10.32–14.52 months) during which there was a statistically significant increase in median weight percentile +5.75 centiles (from 63rdcentile to 68.75thcentile). There was a statistically significant increase in mean BMI of +1.03 kg/m2(P =