Home care for hemophilia: current state of the art

While home care treatment for hemophilia is not a panacea and does not supplant good comprehensive care, it does seem to offer improved medical care for those hemophiliacs enrolled in such a program. The results have been very encouraging in the programs of this type throughout the United States. Since most programs have been in existence for 5 years or less, long-term data have not accumulated. However, the evidence seems to suggest that crippling is less in children and that orthopedic deformities do not progress at the same rate in adults. Children have improved school attendance; young men may attend college and graduate schools without difficulty. Adults may hold a job without fear of absenteeism. There are fewer dollar costs of the disease for the patient and the psychiatric cost of this chronic illness is markedly less. The quality of life is improved and the patient may develop a new self-confidence which allows him to function as a productive member of society.