Hemophilia - Coping up with Hemophilia

Hemophilia is the best known of the bleeding diseases. Although it is the most common of these diseases, it is still rather rare. In this disorder, there is a marked reduction in the amount of a protein called anti-hemophilia globulin, or Factor VIII, in the blood. Factor VIII is vital to the clotting mechanism of the blood. Because of the way hemophilia is inherited, only males have the disease, but it is passed from generation to generation by female “carriers.” In the United States about 1 male in 10,000 has hemophilia. In about 75 per cent of cases, there is a family history of the disease, but in the remaining cases, the hemophiliac is the first of his line, probably because of a mutation, or spontaneous change, in the genes of his mother.

What are the symptoms?

Symptoms usually appear in childhood, as soon as the affected male child becomes active. He gets bruises on his knees and elbows after he crawls, and cuts bleed for a long time. Internal bleeding caused by falls may cause large, deep bruises, which may make a limb swollen and painful for several days. Repeated bleeding into joints and accumulation of scarred tissue produce stiff joints that limit the child’s movement. There is a great deal of variation in the amount of bleeding from one patient to another.

What are the risks?

Today the risks of being crippled or dying from hemophilia are greatly reduced because of effective treatment. However, a major injury is still particularly dangerous for anyone who has hemophilia. Also, if you are a hemophiliac, special precautions must be taken before you have any operation, even a tooth extraction.

What should be done?

Any member of a family with a history of hemophilia should seek genetic counseling before starting a family. Your physician or local public health organizations can tell you where to find such counseling. If you have a male child who shows any of the symptoms described, see your physician.

If you are an adult male and you notice that you bruise or bleed in a way that seems abnormal to you, you should also see your physician. After questioning you, the physician may refer you to a hematologist, or blood specialist. If you or your child have hemophilia, you may be given a card that describes the disease. The hemophiliac should carry the card at all times, so that if an accident occurs the appropriate treatment will be given.

What is the treatment?

Self-help: If you have hemophilia, unless it is a very mild case, your physician will advise against activities that could cause even minor injury. This means that you must avoid most physical contact sports. Solitary exercise such as running or gymnastics may be advised in moderation. Your physician will also advise that you not take aspirin or any drugs that contain it. This is because aspirin increases the chance of bleeding.

Professional help: If severe bleeding or bruising does occur, you should know who to contact, usually your own physician or a special hospital. Such bleeding is treated by in­fusing a concentrated form of Factor VIII, the missing clotting factor, into a vein. Depending on the severity of the bleeding and its location in your body, it is often necessary to continue the infusions of Factor VIII regularly for five to ten days after a bleeding episode.

What are the long term prospects?

There is no question that hemophilia is, in many ways, a limiting disease. It is probably most difficult to deal with in childhood when much of normal play must be avoided. Adults with hemophilia generally work out satisfactory lives within the limitations that are imposed by the disease. Those who are extremely upset by feelings of restriction or vulnerability should seek psychiatric aid.

Degenerations - Coping up with Degenerations

Grouped under this heading are a number of diseases in which nerve cells degenerate and die, usually quite slowly, taking months or years. The symptoms of the various diseases differ widely, depending on the area of the brain or spinal cord in which the degeneration of the nerve cells occurs. The results are distressing and sometimes even tragic. But there is hope because scientific research into causes and possible treatments is gradually increasing our understanding of these disorders. With this new understanding it is reasonable to hope for more and increasingly effective treatments.

Cellulitis Treatment for Curing it Fast and Effectively

Cellulitis is a skin infection caused by Streptococcus bacteria that enter the skin tissue through a small cut or sore. The bacteria produce special chemicals called enzymes that break down the skin cells. Any part of the body can be infected but, for reasons that are not known, it is usually a cut or sore on your face or lower leg that becomes infected. A red, tender swelling develops and spreads gradually for a day or two. Red lines may appear on your skin, running from the infected area along lymph vessels to nearby lymph glands such as those in your groin. Your lymph glands may swell, your tempera­ture rises, and you become feverish and ill.

What are the risks?

If the infection is not treated, the bacteria may get into the bloodstream and cause blood poisoning . So consult your physician as soon as you become aware of the infection. The physician will probably prescribe an antibiotic, which should clear up the disorder.