Hemophilia patients encouraged to take COVID-19 vaccine

Patients with hemophilia are encouraged to get the COVID-19 vaccine and there is no specific contraindication to vaccination related to complications of the disease or their therapies, according to Dr. Ahmed Abdulaziz Bahey, Critical Care Clinical Pharmacist in Trauma at the Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC). 

“We recommend patients with hemophilia to take the COVID-19 vaccine as it does not contraindicate with  their  compensation therapies,” he told The Peninsula. 

“However every patient should talk to their physician and get advice before taking the COVID-19 vaccine,” he added. 

While hemophilia does not necessarily increase the risk of contracting COVID-19, patients are advised to keep safe, follow all precautionary measures and maintain a strong immune system.  

Hemophilia is rare, with type A affecting around one in 10,000 people and type B affecting approximately one in 50,000 people.  Individuals with hemophilia have a fault in a gene that regulates the body’s production of proteins called clotting factors. 

People with severe hemophilia usually experience spontaneous frequent bleeding into their muscles or joints, whereas those with mild hemophilia generally experience bleeding only as a result of surgery or major injury.

In Qatar with recent data   either hemophilia A or B affects one in every 5,000 and HMC offers evolutionising hemophilia care by providing on-demand or rescue treatments. 

Paediatric patients with hemophilia are treated either at Sidra Medicine or HMC upon their choice and adult patients are seen at HMC’s National Center for Cancer Care and Research (NCCCR).

“People with hemophilia are lucky to be in Qatar because they get the best care and treatment for free here,” said Dr. Bahey. 

“Services at the HMC aim to improve the lives of patients with hemophilia. Services available for patients with hemophilia range from individualised care plans to treatment to prevent bleeding, known as factor replacement therapy, ” said  Dr. Bahey. 

Also physiotherapy and exercises are provided for patients with hemophilia.   

For many, hemophilia is a life-long condition that an individual is born with and regardless of the type, the result is the same in that the individual bleeds for a longer time than normal. However, according to Dr. Bahey in very rare cases, a person can develop hemophilia later in life. 

He said the majority of these cases involve middle-aged or elderly people or young women who have recently given birth or are in the later stages of pregnancy.