World Hemophilia Day is an international day which is celebrated every year on April 17 by the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH). The World Hemophilia Day is recognized as an awareness day for hemophilia and other types of bleeding disorders, as well as also serves to raise funds and attract volunteers for the World Federation of Hemophilia.

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The Theme of World Hemophilia Day 2019

“OUTREACH AND IDENTIFICATION”

This year, the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH) is focusing on reaching out and identifying new members of the bleeding disorders community. For many years, the WFH has supported outreach projects in different countries and conducted educational events for both lay and health care professionals in conjunction with our national member organizations (NMOs).

The WHD2019 campaign will feature examples of WFH outreach initiatives like organizing regional workshops, raising awareness of bleeding through media coverage or training health professionals and collecting data. It will combine these examples with submissions from our community about outreach efforts in their own regions or ideas about what would be helpful for future initiatives.

What is Hemophilia?

Hemophilia is a blood disorder in which the clotting property of the body decreases. The bleeding disorders in the body are due to defects in the blood vessels, the coagulation mechanism or blood platelets. An affected person may bleed for longer as compared to a healthy person after surgery or an injury.

The blood coagulation mechanism is a procedure in which there is a transformation of the blood from a liquid into a solid form as well as involves several different clotting factors. The mechanism generates fibrin (a non-globular protein involved in the clotting of blood) when it is activated, which together with the platelet plug, stops the bleeding.

What are the Symptoms of Hemophilia?

Hemophilia symptoms differ from person to person, it depends on the degree of blood clotting factor or coagulation factor deficiency and they also depend on the nature of any injury.

Spontaneous bleeding can cause the following:

• Blood in the stool

• Blood in the urine

• Deep bruises

• Large, unexplained bruises

• Bleeding gums

• Excessive bleeding

• Frequent nosebleeds

• The tight joints

• Pain in the joints

• Irritability (in children)

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What are the Types of Hemophilia?

There are different types of hemophilia including;

• Mild hemophilia

• Moderate hemophilia

• Severe hemophilia

• Intracranial hemorrhage (bleeding inside the skull)

How is Hemophilia Diagnosed?

It is mainly diagnosed through a blood test. The doctor will remove a small sample of blood from your vein and measure the amount of clotting factor present in that sample. The sample is then rated to determine the severity of the factor deficiency.

Mild hemophilia is indicated by a clotting factor in the blood plasma which is between 5 to 40 percent. Moderate hemophilia is indicated by a clotting factor in the blood plasma which is between 1 to 5 percent. Severe hemophilia is indicated by a clotting factor in the blood plasma which is less than 1 percent.

What are the Treatments Available for Hemophilia?

The doctor can treat hemophilia A with a prescription hormone. This hormone is known as desmopressin, which the doctor injects through an injection into your vein. This medication works by stimulating the factors which are responsible for the process of blood clotting.

The doctor can treat hemophilia B by infusing the blood with donor clotting factors. Sometimes, the factors may be given in the synthetic form commonly known as recombinant clotting factors. The doctor can treat hemophilia C by using a plasma infusion. The infusion mainly works to stop profuse bleeding. The patient can also go to physical therapy for rehabilitation if their joints are damaged by hemophilia.

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