Dr. Muhammad Mahtab Hossain Mazed

Today 17 April is World Hemophilia Day 2024. The day has been celebrated every year since 1989. The purpose of observing this day across the world is to make everyone aware about the blood related disease hemophilia. The day is also celebrated to commemorate the founder of the World Federation of Hemophilia, Frank Schnabel, on his birthday. So we need to raise awareness about what is hemophilia

> What is hemophilia?

The word hemophilia is derived from the two Greek words hyma and philia. Haima means blood and philia means attraction. When bleeding starts in any part of the body, blood usually clots there. In medical terms, this process is called clotting. The bleeding is gradually stopped by the clotting process of the blood. To tell the truth, when a wound forms somewhere in our body, the drying up of the wound over time is called clotting. A substance that stops bleeding is called a clot. But for some reason, if this clot is not formed in the wound, bleeding starts from there.

This clot formation process is abnormal in a hemophilia patient. It is not the case that the patient's body will continue to bleed profusely and very rapidly. Basically, a hemophiliac (those suffering from hemophilia) has prolonged bleeding from the body.

Another point needs to be clarified. Many people may now think that if they cut their hands, legs, knees, etc., blood will continue to flow from this disease. That is not the case. Any minor injury outside the body is not much of a concern here. The real concern is internal bleeding. This type of bleeding is called hemorrhage. It is mainly seen in joints like knees and ankles inside the body. Besides, there can be bleeding at the junction of different tissues and muscles inside the body. Such bleeding inside the body is very painful and the affected area starts to swell a lot.

> Why hemophilia occurs: If the human body has one X and one Y chromosome, it is a boy (46,XY) and if both X chromosomes are present, it is a girl (46,XX). The x chromosome contains genes called F8 and F9, which make clotting proteins called F-VIII and F-IX. This clotting protein is present in quantities in the white blood cells. As a result, bleeding stops automatically. People with low blood levels of this clotting protein may not stop bleeding or have delayed bleeding. They are hemophilia patients. Since boys have only one X chromosome and if this only X chromosome is diseased/defective, F-VIII/F-IX is not produced. As a result boys are the patients of hemophilia. And since there are two X chromosomes in the female body, if one X is sick/defective, the other X is healthy enough F-VIII/F-IX is produced. So usually girls are not hemophilia patients but carriers of the disease. But 1. If Lyonisation/inactivation of healthy X chromosome, 2. If father is patient and mother is carrier or 3. Turner syndrome (45,XO) can also affect girls. Therefore, if a sister like Mamato, Khalato etc. gets married to a hemophilia patient, there is a risk of both the son and daughter becoming a patient. However, statistics show that at least one out of every three hemophilia patients is newly diagnosed rather than inherited.

> How many types of hemophilia? There are two types of hemophilia A and B. In hemophilia-A, facfor-8 levels are low or absent. Hemophilia-B has a deficiency of facfor-9. Most people have hemophilia. It is also due to the deterioration of the chromosome system of the body. And according to doctors, about 10 thousand people in Bangladesh are affected by this disease. And around 400,000 people worldwide are suffering from hemophilia.

> Symptoms of Haemophilia:- If continuous bleeding from a simple injury or wound does not stop then understand it is due to Haemophilia. In case of this disease blood platelet count, prothrombin, platelet sickness etc. can decrease. There is also delayed bleeding at the wound site.

> Examination :-

Two blood factor tests.
Blood clotting ability test.

> Prevention: Specialist doctors conduct genetic testing, genetic counseling and prenatal test (amniocentesis) of affected family members to ensure that the unborn child is not a carrier and the number of hemophilia patients can be reduced. These are being tested in the country. No treatment has yet been discovered to completely cure a patient with hemophilia. However, homeopathy treatment is possible. With the right treatment at the right time, such as regular, proper exercise, one can live a fairly normal life, but the treatment is very expensive, which is not possible for many. So prevention is best through awareness.

> Diagnosis of Hemophilia in Homeopathy:-

According to the principle of homeopathic medicine - According to the homeopathic treatment system, it is not treating the disease of the individual but treating the diseased person. Which simply means that the recovery power of a sick person is enhanced, thereby increasing the chances of getting rid of any disease. It is also believed that many diseases can be treated from their roots with the help of homeopathy medicines, which are not possible with modern medical methodsAnd the process of diagnosis in homeopathic medicine is slightly different from modern diagnosis. Homeopathy diagnoses the disease, where the patient is not only examined for symptoms but also his complete physical examinationDuring the diagnosis, the patient is asked questions about his health, with the help of which the doctor treats the type of disease and its causes. During the examination, the mental state of the patient is also examined, for which he is asked about his life situation,

Anxiety, fear, stress and other stressors etc. are asked. With the help of diagnosis in homeopathic treatment, doctors know about the patient's disease and its cause as well as his physical and mental condition.
Appropriate treatment is prescribed according to the results obtained from the diagnosisHemophilia
Homeopathy has many medicines for treating diseases. Homeopathic medicines have proved to be very effective in controlling hemophilia and its symptoms. These medicines contain some active ingredients, which help to stop the bleeding as soon as possible. However, this disease can only be treated by an experienced doctor.

Finally, the outbreak of bleeding diseases has been going on since ancient times. People of that time had very little idea about blood. When the disease first appeared in the British royal family, treatment was not as advanced. Blood plasma was first discovered in 1904. Later, various plasma proteins were discovered, the absence of which can lead to hemophilia.

Being a hereditary disease, there is no way to completely prevent this disease. However, due to the subsequent improvement in medical methods, the modern treatment process of this disease has now started. It is now possible to quickly detect hemophilia through blood tests and take necessary measures. Several years ago, if there were such medical facilities, maybe the disease would not have earned the title of a royal disease. Therefore, awareness is not needed about hemophilia.

Writer, physician, columnist and researcher Founder and Chairman, Jatiya Rogi Kallyan Society