Hemophilia

Treatment

The Mayo Comprehensive Hemophilia Center specializes in treating people with hemophilia and other bleeding disorders. Each year, the center provides evaluation and care to approximately 200 patients and assists in managing and caring for another 100 patients who come for initial evaluation or consultation.

Mayo Clinic takes a multidisciplinary team approach to treating hemophilia. Specialists work together to provide advanced care for the patient and support for the patient's family. Medical specialists that may serve on a patient's care team may include:

• Hematologist
• Hemophilia nurses and social workers
• Orthopedic surgeon
• Blood laboratory specialist
• Family physician or internal medicine specialist
• Dentist
• Physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) therapist

People with hemophilia are trained to manage disease complications and emergencies. This training is also provided to local hospital emergency rooms upon request. After the patient returns home, his or her family physician can monitor and treat the condition.

The standard treatment for children with severe hemophilia is regular intravenous injections of the needed clotting factor. This prevents both short-term and long-term complications such as joint bleeding. A similar treatment regimen can be considered for adults who bleed frequently. Patients who have mild to moderate hemophilia and who do not bleed frequently have clotting factors replaced when bleeding occurs. The clotting factor may be derived from volunteer plasma donors or complex laboratory techniques.