Patricia Inácio, PhD, science writer —

The first Blood Advocacy Week, which promotes activities to showcase the importance of maintaining a safe and continuous blood supply and advocate for changes in policies that strengthen blood supply chains in the U.S., will take place April 24–28. Hemorrhage, or bleeding, is the leading cause of preventable death…

Teens and young adults with moderate and severe hemophilia A on continuous preventive treatment show levels of physical activity similar to young people without the disease, but less than half of teenagers met the weekly physical activity levels recommended by the World Health organization (WHO), a study reports. “We…

Pain, depression, and anxiety medications are used more frequently by hemophilia patients than by the general population, according to an 11-year study across Nordic countries. However, the use of these medications in people with hemophilia was not found to be associated with their use of factor replacement therapies.

Patients with moderate to severe hemophilia A who switched to Kovaltry (octocog alfa) showed no worsening of their annual bleeding rate, according to real-world data from a Phase 4 study. Adhering to the therapy remained high and patients reported high treatment satisfaction. Overall, the study “confirms and extends clinical trial…

Diabetes and infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) increase the risk of high blood pressure (hypertension) among men with hemophilia, a U.S. study found. Given that both hypertension and diabetes can lead to a brain bleed in hemophilia patients, these findings support early screening for these conditions in this…

A telerehabilitation program, wherein physical therapy exercises were delivered to patients by a professional via video calls, was deemed safe and effective at improving the physical condition of people with severe hemophilia, according to a small study in Chile. Patients reported a high degree of satisfaction with the intervention,…

Bleeding episodes in people with severe hemophilia A receiving prophylactic (preventive) treatment have the potential to impair patients’ health-related quality of life, according to data from a survey conducted in Europe. Even a single bleed was linked to marked medication-related and non-related health costs. In fact, in terms of…

The levels of blood clotting factors, physical activity, and bleeding history are all potential risk factors for future bleeds in hemophilia patients under preventive therapy, a small review study from Canada suggests. “These and other risk factors for bleeding could be combined in a risk assessment model (RAM) for…

Children and young adults with hemophilia A and hemophilia B have several behavioral problems, ranging from depression and anxiety to aggressive behaviors, a small study suggests. Age, disease severity, and joint disease duration were found to be significantly correlated with several of these problems. The findings were reported in the…

The rate of intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) — a bleed in the brain — is higher in children and adults with hemophilia than in the general population, an Italian study suggests. ICH rates were particularly high among adults with mild disease and with high blood pressure. Most patients received only…