Abstract
Haemophilia is an X-linked inherited immunogenetic bleeding disorder resulting from
deficiency of clotting Factor VIII (haemophilia A) or Factor IX (haemophilia B). Haemophilia
patients suffer from complication of developing autoantibodies/inhibitor against clotting
factors used for the treatment; most commonly patients are treated with Factor VIII
replacement therapy. In modern medicine, haemophiliacs with inhibitor positive status
are treated with bypassing agents such as Factor VIII inhibitor bypassing agent and
immune tolerance induction therapy (ITI) because such patients do not respond to traditional
factor replacement therapy during an event of active bleeding. Treatment with ITI
is very expensive and it requires medical expertise. Moreover, high cost of such treatment
is one part of the problem, while its availability is another problem especially in
developing countries. The inhibitor status among haemophilia patients is identified
by conducting a blood test which measures the Bethesda units (BU) levels in the blood.
In this case report, the homoeopathic management of a patient with haemophilia A severe
type (Factor VIII <1%), inhibitor positive (4 BU/mL), is presented. The patient underwent
treatment for a span of 4 years. After closely assessing the patient's condition and
applying the principles of homeopathy medicine selection, his frequent bleeding episodes
were treated with homoeopathic medicines such as Hamamelis Virginica Q, Phosphorus, Arnica montana, Rhus toxicodendron, Calendula officinalis, and Pulsatilla nigricans. Intercurrent medicine—Tuberculinum bovinum—was given when the most indicated medicine failed to relieve the symptoms of the case
and was given during non-bleeding phase. The medicines not only helped in reducing
haemophilia-related bleeding episodes but also improved complaints of pain, relieved
skin complaints, and showed improvement in overall psychological status of patient.
It can be concluded that homeopathy medicines were able to successfully reduce the
frequency of bleeding and intensity of pain in this patient. Owing to reduced bleeding,
he required relatively a smaller number of factor replacement treatment compared with
earlier when he was not taking homeopathy. Homoeopathy proved to be effective in managing
severe haemophilia patient as a supportive therapy and was able to contribute toward
reduced inhibitor levels in severe haemophilia patient.
Keywords
haemophilia - inhibitor positive - homoeopathy - HIH (Homoeopathy in Haemophilia)
- case report
