What is clotting factor replacement therapy for hemophilia?
Clotting factor concentrates can help control bleeding in people with hemophilia by helping blood to clot properly. They do not cure hemophilia or repair damage that may have already occurred, such as inflammation from repeated episodes of bleeding in the joints. The severity of hemophilia, the location of the bleeding, and how much bleeding has already occurred often determines how much clotting factor concentrate is given. In the United States, blood products are carefully screened. Blood that is suspected of being contaminated with a virus, such as the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B, or hepatitis C, is not used. The risk of contracting a virus from donated factor concentrate is very low. But people who receive many units of donated factor concentrate over their lives have a slightly increased risk of being infected with one of these viruses. In addition, hepatitis A virus and parvovirus (the virus that causes fifth disease) are harder to detect and can sometimes be
