The Relationship of Frequency and Intensity of Bleeding with Hemophilic Arthropathy in Hemophilia Patients, Radiological Assesment and Socio-Economic Impacts of the Arthropathy

Abstract

Hemophilic arthropathy is the most common complication of hemophilia, and the most important element for follow-up and treatment of hemophilia. In this study, hemophilic arthropathy was evaluated for bleeding, radiological assessment, and physical examination. Besides, socio-economic outcomes of hemophilic arthropathy and its impacts on quality of life were also investigated. Forty male patients diagnosed with hemophilia in the Hematology Unit of Gaziantep University Medical Faculty were included in the study. Of the 40 patients, 34 had hemophilia A and 6 had hemophilia B; 20 (50%) had severe, 8 (20%) had moderate and 12(30%) had mild hemophilia. According to our data collected in this study, there was a close relationship between hemophilic arthropathy and factor level. It was detected that the factor level and frequency of bleeding (p< 0.05), functional assessment of joints (p< 0.05) and scores of radiological assessment (p< 0.05) was negatively correlated. Frequency of joint bleeding during one-year period had a significantly positive correlation with functional assessment of joints (p< 0.01) and scores of radiological assessment (p< 0.01). It was observed that quality of life impaired in advanced arthropathy patients whose physical examination and radiological assessment scores were high among those who had more frequent bleedings. In addition, with increased frequency of bleeding, factor consumption and treatment costs are also increasing. Hemophilic arthropathy is a serious disease that imposes a large economic burden on patients and society. The full treatment of the disease may only be possible if the treatment is started at an early age and during this period it is crucially important to prevent joint bleedings, rehabilitate disabilities, and to introduce patients into society.