In addition, those studies that report increased prevalence offer no clear explanation and there is no clear evidence of increased obesity in older individuals with haemophilia [23]. Ageing pwh who are HIV positive may also be at higher risk for IHD because of highly active retroviral therapy (HAART). While it is recognized that non-haemophilic individuals on HAART therapy are at increased risk for myocardial infarction, in the absence of specific data it is not clear whether this risk is shared by pwh selleck [25]. These studies demonstrate that atherosclerosis and IHD can and do occur in haemophilia. It may be that the severe deficiency of factor

VIII or IX may offer relative protection against the final thrombotic insult in the narrowed arterial lumen that often precipitates the more severe manifestations of IHD. If so, then it may be prudent to exercise caution during intensive replacement therapy such as with major surgical

procedures, particularly in elderly subjects and it may be preferable to use measures such as carefully controlled continuous infusion to avoid peaks of coagulation factor activity in this setting. This may be particularly important during replacement therapy in the setting of acute coronary syndrome [26]. Symptomatic ischaemic heart disease appears to be increasing in haemophilia [27] at least in part because of an ageing population. Acute coronary syndromes (ACS) pose a Clomifene particular challenge because of the need to consider the risk of bleeding when using antithrombotic therapy. this website There is a paucity of data from which to create guidelines for management of

this situation. Most reports are of single cases. In general, the principle of management of these clinical cases is to correct the clotting factor deficiency by using factor replacement and then treating the patient as closely as possible to standard protocols for ACS. Recently, consensus guidelines have been published for this situation and have made recommendations specific for haemophilia such as avoidance of thrombolytic therapy, the use of bare metal stents for percutaneous coronary intervention and the use of prophylaxis during dual anti-platelet therapy [27]. While such guidelines are likely to be useful to guide treatment of individual patients, it must be recognized that such guidelines are largely based on opinion rather than evidence and it is important that they should be reviewed and updated when more robust evidence emerges. Valvular heart disease is also more prevalent in older populations [28] and it is likely that more cardiac surgery will be performed in older persons with haemophilia. Cardiac bypass has been performed safely in haemophilia [29] but requires careful planning and management. Valve prostheses should be of a material that does not necessitate anticoagulation.