If a patient presents with hemophilia, they may bleed for a longer time than others after an injury.
They may also bleed internally, especially in your knees, ankles, and elbows.
This bleeding can damage organs or tissues and may be life threatening.
Causes:
Hemophilia usually is a)inherited that means that the disorder is passed from parents to children through the genes.
People born with hemophilia have little or no clotting factor.
Clotting factor is a protein need for normal blood clotting.
There are several types of clotting factors, these proteins work with platelets help the blood to clot.
Platelets are small blood cell fragments that form in the bone marrow—a sponge-like tissue in the bones.
Platelets play a major role in blood clotting.
When blood vessels are injured, clotting factors help platelets stick together to plug cuts and breaks at the site of the injury and stop bleeding.
Without clotting factors, normal blood clotting can't take place.
Some people who have hemophilia need injections of a clotting factor or factors to stop bleeding.
There are two main types of hemophilia.
Hemophilia A:
Other names:Classic hemophilia
Factor VIII deficiency
Hemophilia B:
Other names:Christmas disease
Factor IX deficiency
In hemophilia A, they may have low levels of clotting factor VIII (8).
About 9 out of 10 people who have hemophilia have type A.
In hemophilia B, they may have low levels of clotting factor IX (9).
Rarely, hemophilia can be b)acquired i.e, they can develop it during your lifetime.
This can happen if body forms antibodies (proteins) to the clotting factors in the bloodstream.
The antibodies can prevent the clotting factors from working.
Signs and symptoms:
The major signs and symptoms of hemophilia are excessive bleeding and easy bruising.
Excessive Bleeding:
The extent of bleeding depends on the type and severity of the hemophilia.
Children who have mild hemophilia may not have symptoms unless they have excessive bleeding from a dental procedure, an accident, or surgery.
Males who have severe hemophilia may bleed heavily after circumcision.
Bleeding can occur on the body's surface (external bleeding) or inside the body (internal bleeding).
Signs of excessive external bleeding include:
1.Bleeding in the mouth from a cut or bite or from cutting or losing a tooth
2.Nosebleeds for no obvious reason
3.Heavy bleeding from a minor cut
4.Bleeding from a cut that resumes after stopping for a short time
Signs of internal bleeding include blood in the urine (from bleeding in the kidneys or bladder) and blood in the stool (from bleeding in the intestines or stomach).
Bleeding in joints:
Bleeding in the knees, elbows, or other joints is another common form of internal bleeding in people who have hemophilia.
This bleeding can occur without obvious injury.
At first, the bleeding causes tightness in the joint with no real pain or any visible signs of bleeding.
The joint then becomes swollen, hot to touch, and painful to bend.
Swelling continues as bleeding continues.
Eventually, movement in the joint is temporarily lost.
Pain can be severe.
Joint bleeding that isn't quickly treated can permanently damage the joint.
Bleeding in the brain:
Internal bleeding in the brain is a very serious complication of hemophilia that can happen after a simple bump on the head or a more serious injury.
The signs and symptoms of bleeding in the brain include:
1.Long-lasting, painful headaches or neck pain or stiffness
2.Repeated vomiting
3.Sleepiness or changes in behavior
4.Sudden weakness or clumsiness of the arms or legs or problems walking
5.Double vision
6.Convulsions or seizures
Diagnosis:
Blood test
Hemophilia A and B are classified as mild, moderate, or severe, depending on the amount of clotting factor VIII or IX in the blood.
Treatment:
1. The main treatment for hemophilia is called replacement therapy.
Concentrates of clotting factor VIII (for hemophilia A) or clotting factor IX (for hemophilia B) are slowly dripped in or injected into a vein.
These infusions help in replacing the clotting factor that's missing or low.
2. Desmopressin (DDAVP) is a man-made hormone used to treat people who have mild to moderate hemophilia A.
3. Antifibrinolytic medicines (including tranexamic acid and aminocaproic acid) may be used with replacement therapy.
Homoeopathic treatment:
1.Arnica
Indicated for internal or external bleeding immediately following an injury.
It is helpful for shock or trauma.
2. Carbo vegetabilis
Indicated for people with pale skin and weakness who are extremely frail, even listless, but like cold and fresh air.
3. Crotalus horridus
Used when there is bleeding into the muscles and when blood appears thin and dark.
This remedy is most appropriate for people who are tall, thin, and pale and have diarrhea or may have fears of being alone and death.
4. Hamamelis
Useful for bleeding from a cut or wound, especially useful in nosebleeds, hemorrhoids, and broken blood vessels in the eye.
5. Lachesis
Indicted for heavy bleeding that is dark in color, especially in red-headed individuals who are jealous and depressed.