Measurement of factor XIII for the diagnosis and management of deficiencies: insights from a retrospective review of 10 years of data on consecutive samples and patients

Abstract

Background

Factor XIII (FXIII) deficiency is a challenge in the diagnosis of rare bleeding disorders with inherited and acquired causes.

Objectives

We evaluated consecutive cases tested for FXIII deficiency for insights on diagnosis.

Methods

With ethics approval, we retrospectively reviewed FXIII tests performed between 2013 and 2023 and local patient records for insights into causes and presentations of FXIII deficiency.

Results

Two thousand one hundred ninety-one samples from 1915 patients (ages: 0-90 years; 38% local) were tested. The FXIII activity (FXIII:Act; Berichrom FXIII, Siemens Healthcare) was low in 14%/9.7% of tested samples/patients. FXIII subunit A antigen (FXIII-A:Ag; Werfen HemosIL FXIII antigen; low in 45% of 251 samples) helped characterize FXIII deficiency severity and identify type 2 deficiencies from acquired FXIII inhibitors. Urea clot solubility tests (18.2% requested without FXIII:Act) were largely noninformative as all abnormal samples (n = 7) had undetectable FXIII-A:Ag levels. Excluding FXIII inhibitor patients, FXIII:Act showed strong correlation with FXIII-A:Ag (R² = 0.84, P < .001) and weak correlation with plasma fibrinogen (R² = .005, P < .001). Some patients had combined acquired FXIII and fibrinogen deficiencies from consumption or major bleeding. FXIII-deficient and nondeficient patients had similar bleeding except for more umbilical and gastrointestinal bleeding among deficient patients (P < .05). Most FXIII deficiencies were acquired (92%), and although several were autoimmune, most were from consumption, major bleeds, or severe infections or had uncertain significance, with bleeding sometimes attributable to other causes.

Conclusion

Congenital and acquired FXIII deficiency are associated with bleeding. Local practices were changed to ensure that FXIII:Act is used to screen for FXIII deficiency and that deficient patients have FXIII:Act and FXIII-A:Ag quantified and compared.