April 17 is World Hemophilia Day.

Hemophilia is acquired at birth by children with a family history of the condition. According to doctors, there is no cure for haemophilia, and the key to leading a better life with hemophilia is early detection and condition management; the responsibility for that lies with parents and guardians. Parents should immediately highlight injuries leading to profuse bleeding, big blue patches on the body, small wounds taking a very long time to heal and swelling in joints. These are all symptoms of haemophilia. Unexplained nasal bleeding and blood in the urine or the stools are also indicators.

However it has also been observed that the disorder can be found in children without any family history as well.
The protein needed for normal blood clotting is absent in hemophilia, so even a small injury can develop into a life-threatening condition.

The disorder can be managed by infusion of clotting factor, using medicines to promote clots and healing, avoiding bleeding, exercising regularly, avoiding contact sports, maintaining good dental hygiene and following safe practices.

Medical management of the condition includes infusing blood clotting factor concentrates into the body to prevent bleeding. This is called prophylactic therapy and is administered on the basis of the patient’s weight. It also entails giving injections to the patient whenever they bleed, also called on demand prophylactic therapy.

Regular exercise is very important for these kids as it builds muscular strength which prevents them from frequent injuries, so regular exercise should always be encouraged. But such kids should refrain from sports where they have the potential to injure themselves. Activities like brisk walking, jogging, running and swimming are very good for these kids. According to doctors, swimming is the best exercise as the chance of getting injured is very low since the individual will be swimming in the smooth medium of water, adding that cycling and physiotherapy are also highly recommended.

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