Abstract
Recent advances in hemophilia therapy include the introduction of Facter VIII concentrate, that of home therapy programs, and prophylactic treatment. The purpose of this study is to determine whether these changes had an effect on the incidence of the chronic liver dysfunction in patients with hemophilia A.
Liver dysfunction and exposure to hepatitis B virus were studied in 36 patients with hemophilia A who received Facter VIII concentrate during the period of 1981 to 1982. As a control, a retrospective survey on liver dysfunction and exposure to hepatitis B virus was done in 19 patients with hemophilia A who received only lyophilized cryoprecipitate before the introduction of Facter VIII concentrate during the period of 1977 to 1979.
In the former group, HBV marker was found in 87% of patients and 33% of them had chronic liver enzyme abnormalities. HBV marker was found in 95% of the patients in the latter group and 21% of them had chronic liver enzyme abnormalities. There was no statistically significant difference in the rate of exposure to HBV and the incidence of chronic liver dysfunction between the two groups.
The incidence of chronic liver dysfunction was correlated with patient age, and somewhat less correlated with the total amount of Facter VIII concentrates infused.
