Table of contents:
- Tips for a healthy life for hemophilia sufferers
- 1. Physical activity
- 2. Eat a healthy diet
- 3. Be careful in choosing supplements and drugs
- 4. Consult a doctor before undergoing surgery
- 5. Maintain oral and dental hygiene
- 6. Be careful with the injection in the muscle
- 7. Perform the RICE technique
Hemophilia is a blood clotting disorder that causes sufferers to bleed longer than usual. That is why, even the slightest bleeding can be fatal in hemophilia patients. Therefore, this article will provide tips for a healthy and safe life for patients with hemophilia. Like what? Check out the reviews below.
Tips for a healthy life for hemophilia sufferers
Hemophilia can cause joint disease, such as bleeding in the joints. Bleeding in the knee, elbow, or other joints is another common form of internal bleeding in people who have hemophilia. This bleeding can occur without injury or an obvious cause.
At first, the bleeding causes tightness in the joint without noticeable pain. In fact, this condition can look good without any signs of bleeding. The joint then becomes swollen, hot to the touch, and painful to bend. Swelling continues with bleeding.
Eventually, movement in the joint will be limited and cause pain. Joint bleeding that is not treated quickly can damage the joint.
Therefore, to prevent these symptoms, here are tips on physical activity and a healthy diet for patients with hemophilia.
1. Physical activity
The first healthy life tip for hemophilia sufferers is to do a variety of physical activities, such as sports. Exercise and exercise are healthy for both children and adults with hemophilia.
Physical fitness and muscle strength are an important foundation for stronger muscles and joints, and avoid bleeding. Regular exercise has been shown to reduce the amount of spontaneous bleeding (bleeding that is not caused by injury).
Regular physical exercise several times per week will help maintain range of motion and flexibility. In addition, early mobilization after joint bleeding is also useful for avoiding joint stiffness and clotting of joints.
Additionally, improving physical fitness has many more positive effects on life, such as:
- Increase the strength of the bones and their related parts
- Increase social contact
- Increase independence and self-esteem
- Energy increases
- Improve performance in school and professional life
- Weight loss and risk of obesity
- Prevents depression and anxiety
- Reducing the risk of heart attack, stroke and diabetes
Well, as a patient with hemophilia you have to think ahead and prepare for sports. Make sure you follow the exercise tips for a healthy, risk-free hemophilia sufferer.
2. Eat a healthy diet
The next healthy tips relate to a healthy diet for hemophilia sufferers. It is very important that a patient with hemophilia keeps his weight under control. The reason is, being overweight can have an impact on reducing joint weight and can increase joint pain.
During walking, the knee and ankle joints need to carry about 5 times the total body weight of a person. For 2.5 kg excess body weight will add to the load on each joint.
To find out if you are above the recommended normal weight, try using a body mass index (BMI) calculator.
In order to lose or maintain your weight, you should start a diet that is rich in whole grains, fruits and vegetables, low in fat, and contains a balanced level of sugar and salt.
3. Be careful in choosing supplements and drugs
As a hemophilia patient you need to be careful about supplements and medications. Certain supplements and medications can increase the tendency for bleeding or blood clots, such as aspirin or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (eg, Motrin®, Exedrin®, or Alleve®).
Discuss any over-the-counter pain relieving supplements or medications with your hemophilia doctor.
4. Consult a doctor before undergoing surgery
Another healthy tip for patients with hemophilia is to consult a doctor before undergoing surgery. The operation in question includes minor operations, such as tooth extraction, as well as other major operations.
Why is this important? Remember, bleeding in people with hemophilia lasts longer and is harder to stop than in ordinary people. A simple procedure such as removing a tooth is quite a high risk for hemophilia patients.
Therefore, before doing any surgery, make sure you discuss with your doctor or the medical team if you have hemophilia. Usually, the doctor may give blood clotting drugs before the surgical procedure is carried out.
5. Maintain oral and dental hygiene
Tips that are no less important for hemophilia sufferers are to keep the mouth and teeth healthy. As mentioned above, something as simple as pulling a tooth can be fatal in a hemophilia patient because of the risk of bleeding that can occur.
In addition, less clean teeth can cause plaque buildup. Plaque that is left too long will cause inflammation of the gums, so bleeding can also occur.
Therefore, the form of prevention so that you don't experience oral and dental problems is to keep it clean. You can start by regularly brushing your teeth 2 times a day, using dental floss to clean plaque occasionally, and not eating too many sweet foods.
6. Be careful with the injection in the muscle
It is also important for people with hemophilia to pay attention to the following healthy tips, namely not to accept intramuscular or muscle injections. This is because injecting into the muscle is more at risk of triggering bleeding.
People with hemophilia should notify the medical team who will be injecting that they have hemophilia. This condition applies to injections of any kind, be it immunization shots, vaccinations, or other drugs. These tips can prevent excessive bleeding, so that people with hemophilia can lead a healthy life.
7. Perform the RICE technique
If you have a minor injury, it may be fatal and cause bleeding within the joint. So, once the injury occurs, immediately do a technique called RICE.
According to Nationwide Children's website, RICE is the recommended technique for reducing the risk of complications from hemophilia. Here are healthy tips for doing RICE for injuries to hemophiliacs:
- Rest: rest the body part that is injured
- Ice: compress with cold water or ice on the injured area
- Compression: apply sufficient pressure by wrapping the bandage
- Elevate: lift the injured part of the arm or leg to a higher position than the body
