Haemophilic arthropathy: the importance of the earliest haemarthroses and consequences for treatment

Summary.  In a case of massive bleeding, the possibility of puncturing the joint can be considered to reduce the total load of intra‐articular blood, and thus the total load of iron which, in time, can be found in the synovium with devastating long‐term effects. Subsequent initiation of prophylaxis, still very early in life, might be more beneficial for the preservation of joints. Thus, it might be argued that the initiation of primary prophylaxis should be based on joint haemorrhage history rather than age and, according to some authors, preferably after the bleed in a single joint. The high cost of recombinant factor VIII may make widespread acceptance of prophylaxis impractical. Thus, beneficial results should be balanced with cost considerations. In this balance of treatment cost and efficacy, it must be taken into account that improperly treated haemophilia patients make great demands on healthcare systems (in terms of costs) because of their need for additional treatments such as expensive joint replacement surgery. However, where resources are limited, it can be argued that prophylaxis may be stopped in adulthood, in a certain proportion of all adult patients, with acceptable consequences for orthopaedic outcome in the long term. By doing so, limited amounts of clotting factor can be used for young patients with optimal cost effectiveness.