06 OCT. 2025
Rare complication in haemophilia
Rare complication in haemophilia
As we have seen, haemophilia is a rare hereditary disease where the blood does not clot following a wound or trauma.
There are two types of haemophilia: haemophilia A, which is characterised by a deficiency of clotting factor VIII, and haemophilia B, which is characterised by a deficiency of clotting factor IX.
Complications can occur in some patients with haemophilia: one of the most common is permanent damage to the joints.
Another major and serious complication is the development of inhibitors.
As a reminder, haemophilia is treated through chronic administration of the missing or deficient factor VIII or IX. In some cases, the clotting factor injected is considered by the human body as a foreign substance, and the body then defends itself by producing antibodies. They are called inhibitors in this case because they neutralise the clotting function of the factor administered.
Worldwide, 7,571 patients with haemophilia A and B1 are known to have developed inhibitors, which means only 3% of haemophiliacs A and B patients worldwide are affected.
Haemophilia patients who develop inhibitors to coagulation factors have a 70% higher risk of mortality than patients without inhibitors2. There are few treatments available to manage this serious complication. One available treatment is Immune Tolerance Induction (ITI) which aims to eliminate the inhibitors by injecting large quantities of coagulation factors.
Other treatment options include bypassing agents which circumvent the need for coagulation factors to stop bleeding.
Sources:
1: https://www1.wfh.org/publications/files/pdf-2399.pdf
2: Walsh CE, Soucie JM, Miller CH, United States Hemophilia Treatment Center N. Impact of inhibitors on hemophilia A mortality in the United States. Am J Hematol. 2015;90(5):400-5.
Job Code: NP-25/10/001 – Date of preparation: November 2025