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Disease Management
Disease Management
Disease Management

Managing a bleeding disorder

Successfully managing life with a bleeding disorder takes a combination of preparedness, preventive care, and timely treatment. In this section, learn how to prepare for an emergency, the importance of good dental care, the benefits of physical therapy, and current treatment options for different bleeding disorders.

Treatment overview for bleeding disorders

Factor replacement therapy is the most common treatment for hemophilia, with decades of real-world use and proven efficacy and established safety record.1,2 Factor therapy replaces the missing blood-clotting proteins that are found naturally in your blood. Since it is administered via an intravenous injection, the proteins are available immediately for use.3 It can be used on-demand, prophylactically, or during surgery.3 Non-factor treatments are also available for some bleeding disorders in certain situations.3 As far as future treatment options, several gene therapies are being studied as potential cures for certain types of hemophilia.4

“It’s not like it was back in 1965 when my brother was born. My brother was walking with a cane at nine. My son is nine and he runs, he rides a bike.“ — Athena, parent

Treatment options for bleeding disorders†

Below are all available treatments for hemophilia, von Willebrand disease, and inhibitors to factor therapy.

Factor replacement options

Medicine bottle and DNA icon.

Recombinant Clotting Factor Concentrates*

  • What it is
    Replacement therapy with clotting factor concentrates. Genetically engineered using DNA technology. Not made from human blood.3
  • How to take it
    Intravenous injection5
  • How often
    Prophylactic, On-demand, or Perioperative5
Medicine bottle and blood drop icon.

Plasma-Derived Clotting Factor Concentrates

  • What it is
    Replacement therapy with clotting factor concentrates. Made from human blood. Blood is screened and treated to help prevent the spread of diseases.6
  • How to take it
    Intravenous injection5
  • How often
    Prophylactic, On-demand, or Perioperative5

Non-factor replacement options

Medicine bottle and pill icon.

Desmopressin Acetate3

  • What it is
    Man-made hormone to stimulate the release of stored factor. Also increases the level of these proteins in blood.6
  • How to take it
    Nasal spray, injection3
  • How often
    On-demand or Perioperative3
Medicine bottle icon.

Bispecific Antibody7

  • What it is
    Therapeutic antibody for factor function replacement.3
  • How to take it
    Subcutaneous injection (under the skin)3
  • How often
    Prophylactic3

*Recombinant clotting factor concentrates for Hemophilia A and B are available in both standard half-life (SHL) and extended half-life (EHL) options8

Individualized treatment for bleeding disorders

Since each person responds to treatment differently for a variety of reasons, an analysis of specific symptoms—such as bleeding rates and level of factor in the blood—can help healthcare providers find the right treatment and regimen for a particular person with a bleeding disorder.9

Watch 3 moms talk about the importance of treatment and the hope it gives them

Watch 3 moms talk about the importance of treatment and the hope it gives them

Hemophilia A Treatment
Hemophilia B Treatment
Hemophilia
with Inhibitors
Treatment
Von Willebrand
Disease
Treatment
  1. Treatment World Federation of Hemophilia website. https://www.wfh.org/en/page.aspx?pid=642. Updated March 2016. Accessed August 21, 2019.
  2. History of bleeding disorders. National Hemophilia Foundation website. https://www.hemophilia.org/Bleeding-Disorders/History-of-Bleeding-Disorders. Accessed August 21, 2019.
  3. Treatment of hemophilia. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/hemophilia/treatment.html. Reviewed March 11, 2019. Accessed August 20, 2019.
  4. Nienhuis AW, Nathwani AC, Davidoff AM. Gene Therapy for Hemophilia. Mol Ther. 2017;25(5):1163–1167. doi:10.1016/j.ymthe.2017.03.033
  5. Taking factor. The Hemophilia, von Willebrand Disease & Platelet Disorders Handbook website. https://www.hog.org/handbook/article/3/29/taking-factor. Accessed August 20, 2019.
  6. Hemophilia. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute website. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/hemophilia. Accessed August 20, 2019.
  7. National Hemophilia Foundation. MASAC recommendations concerning products licensed for the treatment of hemophilia and other bleeding disorders. https://www.hemophilia.org/sites/default/files/document/files/masac253.pdf. Revised April 2018. Accessed August 20, 2019.
  8. National Hemophilia Foundation. Products licensed in the U.S. to treat hemophilia. https://www.hemophilia.org/sites/default/files/document/files/253Tables.pdf. Accessed August 20, 2019.
  9. Hazendonk HCAM, van Moort I, Mathot RAA, et al; OPTI-CLOT study group. Setting the stage for individualized therapy in hemophilia: What role can pharmacokinetics play? Blood Rev. 2018;32(4):265-271.