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Bengal

World Haemophilia Day: Drive on disorder treatment

Kolkata: The Calcutta Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) is all set to organise an awareness campaign on the treatment of haemophilia on Wednesday.

April 17 is observed as World Haemophilia Day to increase awareness of haemophilia and other inherited bleeding disorders.

The treatment of haemophilia is available at two state-run hospitals in the city — Calcutta Medical

College and Hospital and

NRS Medical College and Hospital.

To extend the health services, two specialist doctors were recently sent to Bankura Medical College and Hospital.

Though, there is no separate hematology unit in the hospital but the newly appointed hematologists will create awareness among the patients about the disorder.

Hemophilia is a genetic disorder in which the patient's body lacks factors that help clotting of the blood.

Lack of awareness about the genetic disorder leads to complications in such patients.

The major challenge to treat these patients is the cost treatment which is not affordable for persons from impoverished background.

The Bengal government is striving continuously to provide safe and high factor treatment to the patients suffering from haemophilia.

The government has plans to set up more haemophilia treatment centres with proper infrastructure in various districts as well.

City doctors feel continuous availability of haemophilia factors to the patients can be one step to ensure the best care to the patients.

The state government is making various efforts for the availability of replacement therapy of factors (VIII or IX) to patients.

When the factor VIII in the blood goes down a certain level, the patient is affected with haemophilia A or when

factor IX dips, it causes hemophilia B.

According to Prof Dr Siddhartha Sankar Roy of Calcutta Medical College and Hospital, in normal cases the factors remain between 50-150 percent in a patient.

When the factor level goes below 1 per cent the condition is termed severe hemophilia. When a patient is diagnosed with a factor level 1-5 percent, it is called moderate condition and 5-50 percent can be termed as mild. When factor level goes down 1 per cent the patient starts bleeding from various parts of his body.

There is also a possibility of brain and any other internal injuries.

"There are currently 750-800 registered haemophilia patients in the Calcutta Medical College and Hospital. Hemophilia A is more common than hemophilia B.

There are around 550 patients with hemophilia A in the hospital. Spreading awareness is the most important to

fight the disease," Prof Dr Roy said.

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