Treatment Options Preventing and Treating Bleeds
For years, people have used factor therapy to treat bleeds. When people infuse, they replace missing factor VIII (eight) or IX (nine) in the blood. Over time, factor levels begin to fall again as they are eliminated from the body. When factor levels are low, accidental bleeds and spontaneous bleeds, as well as small, ongoing bleeds you may not even notice, are more likely to occur.1,2,3
Determining What’s Right for You
Infusing when a bleed happens replaces missing factor, stops the bleed, and eases pain in the process. The earlier factor therapy is infused, the easier it is to control the bleed. That’s why it’s so important to recognize the signs of a bleed and treat right away.2,4,5
Preventing Most Bleeds
Instead of only treating a bleed after it happens, infusing prophylactically can keep factor levels up, which has been shown to prevent most bleeds and reduce your annual bleed rate (ABR), or the number of bleeds you have in 1 year. Work with your HTC or hemophilia clinician to determine which treatment plan is right for you.2,3,6
References
- Severity of hemophilia. World Federation of Hemophilia Web site. http://www.wfh.org/en/page.aspx?pid=643. Updated May 2012. Accessed June 6, 2012.
- Rivard G-É, Blanchette V, Hilliard P, Mulder K, Zourikian N. Management of bleeds. In: Amesse C, Bedard L, Blanchette V, et al, eds. All About Hemophilia: A Guide for Families. 2nd ed. Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Canadian Hemophilia Society; 2010. http://www.hemophilia.ca/files/Chapter%2004.pdf. Accessed June 6, 2012.
- Poon M-C, Jackson S, Brown M, Wilma M. Clotting factor therapy. In: Amesse C, Bedard L, Blanchette V, et al, eds. All About Hemophilia: A Guide for Families. Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Canadian Hemophilia Society; 2010. http://www.hemophilia.ca/files/Chapter%2005.pdf. Accessed June 6, 2012.
- Complications of hemophilia. In: All About Hemophilia: A Guide for Families. Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Canadian Hemophilia Society; 2010. http://www.hemophilia.ca/files/Chapter%2008.pdf. Accessed May 25, 2010.
- Gilbert MS. Musculoskeletal complications of hemophilia: the joint. Treatment of Hemophilia. No 6. Montreal, Quebec, Canada: World Federation of Hemophilia; 1997. http://www.wfh.org/2/docs/Publications/Musculoskeletal_Physiotherapy/TOH-6_English_%20Joint.pdf. Accessed June 6, 2012.
- Carcao MD, Aledort L. Prophylactic factor replacement in hemophilia. Blood Rev. 2004;18(2):101-113.
