Haemophilia: A Rare Bleeding Disorder

The COVID-19 pandemic, that we are currently struggling with, has posed many challenges for people with certain comorbid diseases and those having other existing medical conditions. One such condition is Haemophilia, a bleeding disorder and many people are unaware of it. Therefore, today, let us dig into some details about what is it, what are the symptoms, how is it diagnosed, etc.

Bleeding is a common thing that follows most of the injuries, which is further followed by a process called clotting, where the cells in the blood and proteins work together to form clots to avoid excess loss of blood. However, in some people, the bleeding prolonged and these people are known to suffer from a bleeding disorder. One such rare bleeding disorder is Haemophilia. Since it is a rare disorder, people are not much aware about it. So, what exactly is this condition and what are the things associated with it? Let us know more about it with ETV Bharat Sukhibhava.

Defining Haemophilia

“Haemophilia is a bleeding problem. People with haemophilia do not bleed any faster than normal, but they can bleed for a longer time. Their blood does not have enough clotting factor. The clotting factor is a protein in blood that controls bleeding. haemophilia is quite rare. About 1 in 10,000 people are born with it”, states the World Federation of Haemophilia (WFH).

Furthermore, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) informs that haemophilia is usually an inherited bleeding disorder in which the blood does not clot properly. This can lead to spontaneous bleeding as well as bleeding following injuries or surgery. Blood contains many proteins called clotting factors that can help to stop bleeding. People with haemophilia have low levels of either factor VIII (8) or factor IX (9).

A person with lower levels of factor VIII (8) has haemophilia A, which is the most common type. The one with lower levels of the latter, i.e. factor IX (9) have haemophilia B, which is comparatively less common. However, in both the cases, the person bleeds for a longer time than usual.

How Does It Happen?

Most people with haemophilia are born with this condition. It is inherited or passed on from parents to a child, through genes. Apart from this, in some cases, it can also occur with no family history of haemophilia. WFH explains that Sometimes haemophilia can occur when there is no family history of it. This is called sporadic haemophilia. About 30% of people with haemophilia did not get it through their parent’s genes. It was caused by a change in the person’s own genes.

One other condition can be Acquired haemophilia. WFH states that in rare cases, a person can develop haemophilia later in life. The majority of cases involve middle-aged or elderly people or young women who have recently given birth or are in the later stages of pregnancy. This condition often resolves with appropriate treatment.

Symptoms

Symptoms of Haemophilia

Symptoms, as mentioned by WFH, are:

The signs of haemophilia A and B are the same:

• Big bruises
• Bleeding into muscles and joints
• Spontaneous bleeding (sudden bleeding inside the body for no clear reason)
• Prolonged bleeding after getting a cut, removing a tooth, or having surgery
• Bleeding for a long time after an accident, especially after an injury to the head

Bleeding into a joint or muscle causes:

• An ache or “funny feeling”
• Swelling
• Pain and stiffness
• Difficulty using a joint or muscle

The bleeding can occur both inside and outside the body. However, mostly, the bleeding is internal, in the muscles or joints. “The most common muscle bleeds occur in the muscles of the upper arm and forearm, the iliopsoas muscle (the front of the groin area), the thigh, and the calf. The joints that are most often affected are the knee, ankle, and elbow. If bleeding occurs many times into the same joint, the joint can become damaged and painful. Repeated bleeding can cause other health problems like arthritis”.

Diagnosis And Treatment

This condition can be diagnosed through blood samples and by measuring the level of factor (VIII and IX) activity in the blood. haemophilia is a lifelong disorder. If a pregnant mother is a carrier, her baby can be tested once he is born. Prenatal diagnosis too can be done 9 to 11 weeks using chorionic villus sampling (CVS) or through fetal blood sampling at later stages (18 or more weeks) of pregnancy.

Till date, there is no curative treatment for haemophilia. The key is to provide proper and on-time treatment, to manage the disorder. If adequate treatment is not given, the condition can prove to be fatal as well. Therefore, get yourself monitored regularly, stay in contact with the doctor and follow all the measures or medications as advised by them.