Bogotá commemorated the month world of combat hemophilia.

-more than 162 thousand people living with hemophilia worldwide, while in Colombia it is estimated that there are approximately 2,500 patients

– 97% of cases occur in men

-Spanish expert visited major cities in the country to showcase the latest trends in treatments for this Pathology

Bogota, may 2012.- in order to know how to avoid complications and how to access the services of the Colombian health system bogotanos patients suffering from hemophilia met on 25 April in the Maloka Plaza. The event was assisted by Dr. Sergio Robledo, scientific director of the Colombian League of hemophiliacs and Dr. Javier Batlle Chief of the service of Haematology and haemotherapy, Institute of biomedical research of la Coruña (Spain).

Different activities that educated people about this disease that affects about 2,500 Colombians, according to data provided by Dr. Robledo were organized in several cities of the country.

Hemophilia is a blood disease caused by the deficiency of a protein responsible for clotting. Why people who have this disease should be treated with a concentrated known as antihemofílico factor, which allows them to control the bleeding should receive a coup or suffer a fall.

According to the latest data published by the World Federation of hemophilia, there are more than 162 thousand people in the world with this disease and 97% of cases occurs in men.

According to Dr. Batlle, in countries such as Sweden, United States, Germany and Spain are provided prophylactic therapies to those who suffer from severe hemofilias. This practice means that patients receive the medication two or three times a week, although they have not suffered any significant incident. Conventionally this disease was when there was a bleeding. But what has been is that systematically apply the treatment could prevent, among other complications, hemofílica arthropathy ”, explains the specialist.

Persons who do not receive proper since the beginning of the pathology treatment may experience damage joints in the long term and see decreased mobility. At the same time, they are prone to bleeding in the nervous system.

And adds that despite the fact that one of the main obstacles to standardize this practice is expensive, very important studies have shown that it is an investment worth by the quality of life of patients, the decrease in work and school absenteeism, and the difficulties that prevent future, which require major outlays ”.

During the talks the specialist also made a review on global trends in management and the problems concerning the choice of the type of concentrated more favourable. Currently, we have two types of treatments: the recombinant (created from the genetic engineering) and those derived from human plasma ”, points out Dr. Batlle.

The expert points out that while both perform the same function, generally is preferred the recombinant factor insofar as the plasma is made with human blood, there is fear that patients transmit infected with some unknown pathogen, as happened in United States and Colombia in the 1980sWhen a group of patients received transfusions contaminated with the Virus of human immunodeficiency (HIV).

Not to demonize the plasma factor because the risks of transmission of diseases are have been overcome and today are almost non-existent due to the protocols of viral inactivation, selection of donors, etc. However, it is convenient insofar as possible to progressively include the recombinant in all countries by a precautionary principle: that way there is no danger of that persons infected with pathogens that are emerging, such as the Nile, whose inactivation mechanisms are still unknown virus ”, warns Dr. Batlle.