Hemophilia is a genetic condition that occurs when the blood is missing a specific protein that helps the blood to clot when you bleed. Hemophilia can be divided into two types, Hemophilia A and Hemophilia B.
Hemophilia A is when you are missing a large amount of the protein Factor VIII. Whereas, hemophilia B occurs when you are missing the protein Factor IX.
The severity of your hemophilia depends on how much of Factor VIII or Factor IX you have in your blood.
This condition leads to an increased risk of bleeding, which can be difficult especially for children. It is important to receive the appropriate diagnosis from a healthcare professional before you begin to consider treatment options for hemophilia.
Hemophilia A Treatment
Doctors recommend replacement therapy as the main treatment option for hemophilia. This treatment involves replacing the protein that the blood is missing to help blood clot properly. The replacement is done by the infusion of the missing protein produced from other blood or a lab into the vein through an IV.
Replacement therapy will not cure you of your hemophilia A, as there is no cure for any type of hemophilia. However, it can help to control your condition and how much you bleed.
You may need to receive replacement therapy regularly depending on the severity of your hemophilia A. This hemophilia A treatment is recommended for children and adults over the age of 12.
Replacement therapy is not guaranteed to work on everyone with hemophilia and has an approximately 20% rejection rate. Of course, this depends on each individual case of hemophilia.
Remember to talk with your doctor before you decide on a specific hemophilia A treatment for your case. Together, you will be able to determine which option could provide the best results for you or determine what other options you may have.
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