Do You Have Hemophilia and an Inhibitor?

"People with hemophilia lack a protein (a clotting factor) necessary for blood to clot normally. This can lead to spontaneous bleeding as well as bleeding following injuries or surgery. The best way to treat hemophilia is to replace the missing blood clotting factor so that the blood can clot properly. This is done by infusing (giving through a needle into a vein) commercially prepared factor. However, up to 1 in 5 people with hemophilia develop an antibody (inhibitor) to the infused factor used to treat bleeding episodes. The inhibitor prevents the factor from working to stop bleeding. An inhibitor makes treatment for bleeding episodes much more difficult and expensive. Treatment costs associated with inhibitors are on average 3 – 4 times higher and can cost a patient over $1 million in a single year. In addition, people with inhibitors are at increased risk for joint disease and other complications from bleeding that lead to a reduced quality of life..."
Hemophilia and inhibitors