Guide To Diagnosing And Treating Christmas Disease (Hemophilia B)

Preventative Blood Transfusions

Preventative blood transfusions may be utilized as a part of a patient's treatment for their hemophilia B. Preventative blood transfusions are typically only needed in patients who have a severe degree of hemophilia B. The purpose of this preventative treatment method is to keep bleeding from occurring. This type of treatment may be referred to as prophylactic therapy and has proven to be effective at decreasing complications caused by recurrent bleeds. These complications may include intracranial hemorrhage and joint damage. Joint damage, in particular, is taken into consideration when a patient chooses to have prophylactic treatment because joint damage progressively worsens over their life even if they do not experience more bleeds in that joint.

Preventative blood transfusions are utilized in patients who have already had hemophilia-associated joint damage with the goal of minimizing inflammation, pain, and immobility. Depending on circumstances regarding transfusion availability, bleeding triggers, and the number of acceptable joint bleeds, preventative blood transfusions may not be the most ideal method of treatment.

Factor IX Injections

An individual affected by hemophilia B may choose to have factor IX injections to treat their disorder. Factor IX injections are most often administered in response to an individual's active bleeding episode. In some less common cases, factor IX injections may be utilized as prophylactic treatment. The factor IX complex used in these subcutaneous injections may contain an artificial, man-made derivative of factor IX or may be obtained from donor blood. Factor IX complexes made from human donor blood have been treated and purified through a specialized process to ensure no harmful viruses are present such as hepatitis C, hepatitis A, parvovirus B19, West Nile virus, HIV, and hepatitis B.

Factor IX complex injections come in the form of a dry powder medicine meant to be mixed with a liquid diluent prior to injection. Cases have been reported where regular use of factor IX injections have induced the production of an antibody against factor IX, making the injection less effective. Factor IX injections may be used as a preventative measure in hemophilia B patients undergoing any type of surgical procedure.