Factor VIII Inhibitors

Abstract

Physicians not engaged in the treatment of patients with bleeding disorders may not fully appreciate the magnitude of the revolution that has occurred in the management of classic hemophilia. Before 1964 the mainstay of therapy was fresh-frozen plasma. Limited by the volume of plasma that could be given, treatment was usually inadequate. Elective surgery was rarely performed, and crippling joint deformities were the hallmark of the disorder. The discovery by Pool and her associates, in 1964,¹ that factor VIII, the anti-hemophilic globulin, could readily be concentrated from frozen plasma has completely altered the treatment of hemophilia. Not only can serious . . .