What is a common approach to managing hemophilia?

The management of hemophilia primarily revolves around the restoration of clotting factor levels in the blood. The condition is characterized by a deficiency in specific clotting factors, which are crucial for normal blood coagulation and preventing excessive bleeding. Therefore, the injection of these missing clotting factors is the central therapeutic approach.

By administering replacement therapy, individuals with hemophilia can achieve adequate levels of clotting factors to help control and prevent bleeding episodes. This can be done through on-demand treatment (to address bleeding as it occurs) or as prophylaxis (to prevent bleeding in individuals at high risk).

While physical therapy can support joint health and mobility and surgical options may address severe joint damage caused by recurrent bleeding, these interventions do not directly address the underlying clotting deficiency. Long-term anticoagulants, on the other hand, would not be suitable for individuals with hemophilia since these medications would increase the risk of bleeding rather than treat the condition. Thus, injections of clotting factors remain the most effective and essential strategy in managing hemophilia.