Genetic News Weblog

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 refers to a group of diseases. Each of these diseases affects the body’s ability to clot or coagulate blood. Basically, if a hemophiliac is cut or suffers from internal bleeding, the body is unable to clot and stop the bleeding.

To learn more about hemophilia, including its causes and treatments, keep reading.

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

Hemophilia does not have a cure. That said, the disease is typically controlled by adding the missing clotting factors to the patient’s blood. This is called prophylactic treatment because it’s designed to prevent bleeding incidents. Some hemophiliacs may begin to resist the antibodies of these clotting factors, so animal derivatives must then be used.

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.

Typically, treatments are administered on an ongoing schedule designed to prevent emergencies while continuing routine treatment that keeps the blood clotting. In contrast, on-demand treatments only administer medication when a bleeding episode occurs and a quick response is needed. On-demand treatment is not only significantly less expensive, but the patient is also less likely to develop antibodies.

In areas or countries where health care is covered by the state, patients can typically attend care centers designated for hemophiliac care. They are then assigned a hematologist, nurse, physiotherapist and social worker to help them with their treatments and continuation of care.

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.

Other methods include ingesting certain herbs, like scotch broom or grape seed extract, which are believed to strengthen the blood vessels. Again, there is no clinical evidence that suggest these particular herbs are an effective or even preventive remedy for hemophilia disease. Speak first with your doctor before attempting such an option.

Tags: Diseases, Conditions & Treatments //