Analyses of factor VIII procoagulant activity (FVIII:C) and the FVIII:C to VWF:Ag ratio (FVIII:C/VWF:Ag ratio) have been investigated as screening bioassays to detect haemophilia carriers. This study aimed to determine the validity of the FVIII:C/VWF:Ag ratio and FVIII:C analyses as screening tests. We reviewed the medical records of 137 genetically confirmed, proband haemophilia A patients and 179 of their familial females who had undergone carrier testing. The collected data included the severity and mutation type of F8 gene from probands and age, ABO blood type, FVIII:C, VWF:Ag, and the result of targeted gene analysis in females. We diagnosed 110 females as carriers, and their FVIII:C and FVIII:C/VWF:Ag ratio were lower than those in 69 non-carriers (FVIII:C: 59.3 IU/dL vs. 106.1 IU/dL, p = 0.000; FVIII:C/VWF:Ag ratio: 0.62 vs. 1.08, p = 0.000). In receiver operating characteristic analysis, the areas under the curve (AUC) of the FVIII:C/VWF:Ag ratio and FVIII:C were 0.936 and 0.876, respectively. The cut-off value of FVIII:C/VWF:Ag ratio (0.81) at the maximum Youden J index provided a sensitivity of 82.8% and specificity of 96.6%. The cut-off value of FVIII:C (83.8 IU/dL) showed a sensitivity of 81.8% and specificity of 79.7%. Considering the AUC, the FVIII:C/VWF:Ag ratio is a good screening test to detect haemophilia A carriers, as evidenced by its specificity of 96.6%; however, it may also induce false-negative results.
Keywords: carrier; factor VIII; haemophilia; screening; von Willebrand factor.