Improvement in school absence after factor replacement in students with haemophilia in Upper Assam, India

Abstract

Patients with haemophilia who are not adequately treated experience a lifetime burden of joint complications and loss of functional ability due to repeated bleeding episodes caused by low levels of clotting factor VIII or IX in the blood. These complications can significantly impact day-to-day life, including active participation in school and academic study in children with haemophilia (CwH). Treatment with factor replacement therapy can help to prevent this, but access to factor has been challenging in low-resource settings such as Northeast India. This study shows the impact of factor replacement therapy on bleeding episodes, joint complications and school absence among CwH in this setting.

Keywords

• haemophilia
• school absence
• factor replacement therapy
• prophylaxis
• on-demand therapy
• northeast india