Treatments

Treatment with therapy

Replacement therapy is the main type of treatment for hemophilia. It is giving or replacing the clotting factor in blood that is too low or completely missing. For hemophilia type A the factor VIII is injected into a vein but for hemophilia type B the factor IX is injected into the vein. Not too long ago, people would have to take a huge risk when getting blood transfusions for treatment. But because of new experiments and technology scientists have greatly reduced the number of disease spread through blood. You can use replacement therapy on a regular basis, this is called preventive therapy. Another option is to just get the therapy as needed. This kind of therapy is called, demand therapy. Demand therapy is less expensive and intensive as replacement therapy. There is a risk however, that there will be damage done before the as-needed therapy is administered.

Complications of Replacement Therapy

A huge problem with this therapy is that in some cases the body makes antibodies that will act against foreign clotting factors. This happens about 20% of time in type A and only 1% in type B. Viral infections, although lessened, can still cause a lot of trouble with certain blood carried diseases. For instance AIDS which can easily be transferred from a blood transfusion. Damage to the joints, muscles, and other parts of the body can also come from late treatment. To prevent antibodies from attacking, doctors either put a large dose of the factor in, or try differant sources.