Travel Insurance For Haemophilia Sufferers

Travel insurance for Haemophilia sufferers can be arranged by World First who are international travel insurance specialists. World First offer cheap holiday insurance for Haemophilia suffererers and annual travel insurance for UK residents with medical conditions who find it difficult to buy travel insurance with cover for Haemophilia and associated medical problems elsewhere. For more information about travel insurance for Haemophilia sufferers and a quote for your holiday insurance call World First for FREE on 0800 096 46 02.

Haemophilia is a disorder of the blood-clotting system. Normally, when you cut yourself your blood plugs the wound by changing from a liquid to a solid and forming a blood clot. If you have haemophilia, your blood will not clot normally and you may bleed for longer than normal, or you may bleed internally, particularly into joints such as your knees, elbows and ankles.

Blood contains special proteins, called 'clotting factors', which are involved in the clotting process. There are 20 different clotting factors. If you have haemophilia, your body does not produce enough, or produces none, of one of these clotting factors.

There are different types of haemophilia. If you have haemophilia A, you have a deficiency of clotting factor VIII (known as factor VIII). Haemophilia A is also known as classical haemophilia and is the cause of about 80% of cases. If you have haemophilia B, you have a deficiency of clotting factor IX (known as factor IX). Haemophilia B is also known as Christmas disease and is the cause of about 20% of cases. Deficiencies of factors VIII and IX are the most common; deficiencies of other factors do exist but are very rare.

Haemophilia can be mild, moderate or severe, depending on how much factor VIII or IX is missing from your blood:

1. Mild haemophilia - your blood contains 5-25% per cent of the normal amount of factor VIII or IX.
2. Moderate haemophilia - your blood contains 1-5% of the normal amount of factor VIII or IX.
3. Severe haemophilia - your blood contains less than 1% of the normal amount of factor VIII or IX.

Haemophilia is rare and almost always affects men. Haemophilia A occurs in about 1 in 10,000. Haemophilia B occurs in about 1 in 40,000. About 6,000 people have haemophilia in the UK.

Symptoms of Haemphilia

The signs and symptoms of haemophilia vary, depending on the severity of the clotting factor deficiency. They include:

1. bleeding from cuts or injuries that continues for much longer than normal,
2. unexplained bleeding, bruising or nosebleeds,
3. unusually large or deep bruising forming as a result of injury,
4. joint pain or swelling, or a feeling of warmth in the joint, and
5. blood in the urine or faeces.

Internal bleeding into the joints, muscles or other tissue can occur spontaneously (without an external cause), or as a result of an injury.

The joints most commonly affected by internal bleeding are the knees, followed by the elbows, ankles, shoulders and wrists. If left untreated, bleeding into a joint causes a feeling of warmth or tightness in the joint, pain, swelling and spasm of the muscles surrounding. Once a joint has suffered a 'bleed', it is more likely to bleed in the future. Repeated bleeding in a joint can lead to arthritis or permanent joint damage, causing stiffness and mobility problems.

Bleeding can occur in or around the brain or spinal cord. This is rare and usually occurs only in those with severe haemophilia, but occasionally it can occur in those with the mild or moderate forms of the condition. This type of bleeding is normally caused by injury to the head or spine, but it can occur spontaneously. Bleeding into the brain can cause headache, nausea, vomiting and seizures (fits).

How easily or badly a person with haemophilia bleeds depends on the severity of their haemophilia. In those with mild haemophilia, bleeding often occurs only after moderately severe injury or after surgery. Children with mild haemophilia may not have any noticeable symptoms for years. However, those with severe haemophilia may experience spontaneous bleeding as often as 30 or more times a year.

Source:
NHS Direct Online. © Crown copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO and Queen’s Printer for Scotland.