Hemophilia: Home Treatment

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Home Treatment

Home treatment for hemophilia includes learning how to recognize when bleeding has started, administering clotting factors, eating well, and exercising regularly. Learning how to care for yourself or a child with hemophilia at home can lead to a better quality of life.

There are steps you can take to improve your health and prevent bleeding episodes. It is especially important to prevent bleeding into the joints, because it can result in severe disability.

• Stay at a healthy body weight. If you are overweight, the additional stress on joints can trigger bleeding episodes. For more information, see the topic Healthy Weight.
• Exercise with care. Exercises that do not put excess pressure on your joints, such as swimming, usually are recommended.
• Do not take nonprescription medicines unless your doctor tells you to. Avoid taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and Aleve, which can affect the clotting action of your blood.
• Prevent injuries and accidents around your home.
• Recognize bleeding episodes so that if an injury or spontaneous bleeding occurs, you can start treatment immediately.

You may be able to treat hemophilia at home by infusing blood-clotting factors. Discuss this option with your health professional.

Last updated:	August 20, 2007
Author:	Robin Parks, MS
Reviewed By:	Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine, Brian Leber, MDCM, FRCPC - Hematology
Editors:	Kathleen M. Ariss, MS, Pat Truman, MATC