Hemophilia - A Broad Review Of The Burdensome Bleeding Disorder

Physical and mental illnesses of various kinds are rampant in our nation. So much so that our population is facing a cost crisis in medical care. The harsh discomforts many experience are difficult to resolve or soothe with simple medications or changes in diet. Among the conditions that cause such anguish is the relatively rare disorder of hemophilia.

Hemophilia disease is actually a group of diseases that are all genetic disorders adversely affecting the body’s ability to control blood clotting. Hemophilia affects males, though females are often the carriers of the disease.

If you’re curious about hemophilia and want to learn more about it, please read on.

Root Causes of Hemophilia

Hemophilia is genetic, meaning it is passed down by your parents. There are three types of hemophilia, each designated by the type of clotting factor that is missing from the blood of the person living with the disease. Simply put, the gene responsible for creating and managing that clotting factor is damaged.

Hemophilia impacts males, though females can be carriers. While a male carrier will always pass the disease down to his daughter, he will never pass it on to his son. However, a female carrier only has a 50 percent chance of passing it onto her daughter or son. The disease is very rare and affects approximately 1 in every 5000 births.

How Hemophilia is Treated

There is no cure for hemophilia. However, the disease can be controlled through regular injections or infusions of the missing clotting factor. In some cases though, hemophiliacs develop resistance or antibodies against the replacement factors, so the dosage has to be dramatically increased or non-human factors introduced instead.

A new drug was recently approved by the FDA as an anti-hemophiliac response. It’s genetically engineered from hamster ovarian cells and is essentially a recombinant factor product.

Usually, if a patient is undergoing prophylactic treatment, it’s an ongoing process that continues on a weekly or monthly basis throughout the course of his life. However, some patients opt for on-demand service, meaning they only receive clotting agents when bleeding occurs. This is the more affordable treatment method most often chosen by those living in the U.S. without health insurance.

In countries where health care is provided by the state, most hemophiliacs have ongoing access to preventive care alongside a team of physiotherapists, nurses, hematologists and more who are available to assist.

Natural or Herbal Treatments for Hemophilia

Some people believe that hemophilia can be controlled through hypnosis. They state it can reduce the amount of severe bleeds and help control bleeding once it starts. However, this has never been proven in a clinical setting and has not yet been subject to medical review.

Some hemophiliacs may also use certain herbs to strengthen blood vessels. Common herbs used include grape seed extract, bilberry, scotch broom, stinging nettle, witch hazel and yarrow. If you suffer from hemophilia disease, please consult your doctor before you start a herbal therapy program.