If your child is diagnosed with haemophilia, their recommended treatment plan will depend on how severe their haemophilia is.
Treatment plans for haemophilia
There are two main approaches to treatment:
- treatment as required – where medication is used to stop prolonged bleeding
- preventative treatment – where medication is used to prevent episodes of bleeding and subsequent joint and muscle damage (the medical term for preventative treatment is prophylaxis)
Mild and moderate haemophilia are usually treated as required, whereas severe haemophilia is usually treated using preventative treatment.
Mild haemophilia
Cases of mild haemophilia A, where prolonged bleeding has occurred as a result of an injury or medical procedure, can be treated using a type of medication called desmopressin.
Desmopressin is a synthetic hormone. Hormones are powerful chemicals that can have a wide range of effects on the body. Desmopressin works by stimulating the production of clotting agent VIII (8) and is usually given by injection.
Possible side effects of desmopressin include:
- headache
- stomach pain
- nausea
Desmopressin is not as effective at treating mild haemophilia B. This is because this form of the condition is caused by a lack of clotting agent IX (9). Prolonged bleeding caused by an injury or medical procedure is treated with a medication called nonacog alfan (also known as Benefix).
Nonacog alfan is essentially an engineered version of clotting agent IX. It is created by cloning certain cells before joining them to other cells. The resulting product then goes through a rigorous purification process using specialised machinery.
After the purification process, the end product will contain the active ingredients needed to help the blood clot. However, it will not contain any trace of human cells or other animal cells. This means that there is no risk of contracting blood-borne viruses, such as HIV or hepatitis.
Nonacog alfan is given by injection directly into a vein. Side effects of the medication are uncommon, but include:
- dizziness
- headaches
- altered taste
- nausea
- discomfort and swelling at the injection site
Moderate and severe haemophilia
Moderate and severe haemophilia are often treated with preventative treatment. Children are usually given three injections of the clotting agent medication a week.
When your child is young, you will be trained to give them the injections. When your child is older, they will be taught to inject themselves.
Haemophilia A is treated using a synthetic version of clotting agent VIII (8), called octocog alfa. Like nonacog alfan, octocog alfa is another type of genetically engineered purified protein.
Common side effects of octocog alpha include:
- an itchy skin rash
- redness and soreness at the site of the injection
Haemophilia B is usually treated with nonacog alfan in the same way as outlined above.
