Hemophilia Care in India: A Review and Experience from a Tertiary Care Centre in Uttar Pradesh

Approximately 14,000 people with hemophilia are registered at the Hemophilia Federation of India; however, hemophilia remains under-diagnosed and many cases are not registered. In June 2009, the Government of Uttar Pradesh made anti-hemophilic factors available at a few centers, including the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow. Consequently, the level of hemophilia care has improved considerably in recent times. Amongst the many challenges facing people with hemophilia, the development of inhibitors, which neutralize clotting factors provided by replacement therapy, is the most feared one. Healthcare professionals who treat people with hemophilia should not only be knowledgeable about the condition and committed to bettering the management of hemophilia, but also take responsibility for the judicious allocation of resources for various aspects of managing hemophilia. This manuscript aims to raise awareness regarding the detection and management of inhibitors in hemophilia based on the experience of a tertiary care hemophilia treatment centre in Uttar Pradesh, India.