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Novo Nordisk Polska contact Site Map About us Products Diabetes Menopause Haemophilia Growth hormone Haemophilia Treatment of hemophilia Haemophilia Forum What is haemophilia? Hemophilia A (classical haemophilia) and haemophilia B (Christmas disease) are congenital disorders of blood coagulation. In type A, patients lack clotting factor VIII, in type B, factor IX is missing. Type A is 5 times more common than type B. Clinically, haemophilia is defined as "severe" when the missing clotting factor activity is below 1% of normal. This causes significant spontaneous bleeding. The disease is classified as "mild" when the activity of the missing clotting factor is greater than 5% of normal, and as "moderate" when the activity of the missing clotting factor is between the above-mentioned values. About 50% of cases of haemophilia are severe or moderate, requiring treatment for severe bleeding from several times a month to several times a year. Severe haemophilia usually becomes apparent in the first years of life, as soon as the child begins to move independently. Hemorrhages into the joints (especially the most stressed ones - knee, ankle, hip) may appear, causing severe pain and, in the event of recurrence, may lead to permanent joint damage and disability. Any surgical procedure, even tooth extraction, can cause a dangerous haemorrhage. Hemophilia is an inherited disease that occurs only in men. Women do not have hemophilia, but they can pass it on to their children. Daughters of a man with hemophilia will be carriers of hemophilia, but the sons will be healthy. Sons of a woman who carries hemophilia have a 50% risk of developing hemophilia, and daughters have a 50% risk of becoming carriers of hemophilia. What are inhibitors in people with hemophilia? In response to adjuvant treatment with the missing clotting factor, the patient's body may start producing antibodies to neutralize the factor. These antibodies, called inhibitors, appear in approximately 10% of patients with severe haemophilia A and B. Care for patients with an inhibitor is very difficult. In most of these patients, the presence of an inhibitor is established when standard therapy with the missing coagulation factor supplement fails. The concentration of the inhibitor can be measured using the so-called Bethesda units (jB or BU). What is Acquired Hemophilia? Acquired haemophilia is extremely rare. For some unknown reason, the human body begins to produce antibodies (inhibitors) against blood clotting factors. This may happen in pregnant women, in patients with auto-immune diseases, in the elderly. This disease can manifest as dramatic bleeding that is difficult to stop with standard treatment. NovoNordisk.com Terms of use © Novo Nordisk A / S 2008