Hemophilia Essay, Research Paper

Hemophilia

Severe bleeding. That’s what happens when a person has Hemophilia. “More than 25,000 people in the United States have Hemophilia” (Description of Hemophilia 1). “Hemophilia is an inherited deficiency of a blood-clotting factor that results in episodes of dangerous bleeding” (Hemophilia 1). As you read through this essay, you will learn more about the disease. Some characteristics should be. First you will learn about the diagnosis and prognosis of Hemophilia. Second you will learn the causes and incidences of Hemophilia. And finally you will learn about the treatments and ways of life for the people with Hemophilia.

First off, I will tell you about the prognosis and the diagnosis of Hemophilia. “One of the ways to diagnose Hemophilia is to check the family history of the patient. If your family had Hemophilia, then you have a greater chance of having it, then somebody that doesn’t have it in their heredity line” (Hemophilia 1). Another way to diagnose it is to run tests on the blood. “One of the screening tests is used to check for primary hemostasis. This test would come back normal if the platelet count, and bleeding time were normal. The second test would check the secondary hemostasis. A normal result would be that there is enough fibrin formed to complete blood clotting. In both tests, negative results would show abnormally low levels of each. Then if they came back negative, the diagnosis would be that they do have Hemophilia” (Description of Hemophilia 1-2). “The prognosis then could be one of the three categories of Hemophilia, they are: mild, moderate, and severe. A person with mild hemophilia may only have problems with bleeding when they have surgery, major dental work, or when they have a severe injury. A person with moderate hemophilia can have the same problems, plus bleeding problems with more minor injuries. A person with severe hemophilia can have what are called spontaneous bleeds. Bleeding that starts inside the body for no reason” (What is Hemophilia 1).

Secondly I will talk about the causes and incidences of hemophilia. The immediate cause of hemophilia is the deficiency of a coagulation factor, used in blood clotting. “Some of the complications of having this disease are: dangerous bleeding episodes, permanent joint damage, and the risk of contracting HIV through a blood transfusion” (Hemophilia 2). “And anybody can get hemophilia. It is more commonly found in males, and is genetically passed. Even though it is very rare to have this disorder, only 1 out of every 5,000 boys born has hemophilia. In about a third of all cases, there is no family history with a person that has hemophilia” (What is Hemophilia 1). “An affected male passes hemophilia to all of his daughters, but to none of his sons. These females become carriers of the condition, and then can possibly spread it to their children” (Bleeding Disorders Info 2).

Finally I will talk about the treatments and way of life for people with hemophilia. “Even though there is no cure for this disease, there are some treatments that help” (What is Hemophilia 1-2). “One of these is your own self-knowledge of the disease. Learning the signs and symptoms of the disease, and protecting yourself will greatly help you. There are also medications to help too. Your doctor can subscribe medications for your joint pain, if any was to occur” (Hemophilia 2). “You can also take injections of the clotting factor that is missing from a person’s blood. Even though it is quite expensive, costing anywhere from $40,000 – $200,000 per year, it is well worth the money” (What is Hemophilia 2). A persons daily life is effected too if you have hemophilia. “First of all, you have to avoid activities that may cause injury, such as contact sports. Secondly, you can’t take aspirin for any aches you may have, because aspirin may increase bleeding. But there is no special diet” (Hemophilia 2-3).

Some of the characteristics you should have learned in this essay were: the diagnosis and prognosis of hemophilia, the causes and incidences, and finally the treatments and daily life for someone with this disease. At least, you should have learned them. If you didn’t learn these things, at least you are a little more informed about hemophilia.

591

“Bleeding Disorders Info.” Hemophilia

Mar. 2000. Hemophilia. 3, March 2000

http://www.infonhf.org/bdi/hemophilia/.

“Description of Hemophilia.” Hemophilia.net

Mar. 2000. Hemophilia.net. 20, March 2000

http://www.hemophilia.net/descript.htm.

“Hemophilia.” Hemophilia – thrive@health

Mar. 2000. Thriveonline. 20, March 2000

http://www.thriveonline.com/health/Library/illsymp/illness262.html.

“What is Hemophilia.” Hemophilia

Mar. 2000. hog.org. 20, March 2000

http://www.hog.org/hemophilia.htm.