Long-term Management of Clotting Disorders

Continuous Blood Clotting Management in Specific Patients

Management of an inherited blood clotting disorder involves the treatment of acute clotting events, prevention of clots in people who do not have symptoms, and prevention of a recurrence of a clot.

In general, clotting episodes do not occur in a continuous fashion except in persons who have a specific gene alteration for protein C or protein S. Lifelong prevention therapy, therefore, should not be considered for people who do not have symptoms and who are not exposed to risk factors.

Such prevention therapy may be considered impractical for many reasons, including:

• Cost of lifelong blood-thinning therapy and associated monitoring

• Adherence to therapy (a person’s ability to take medicines as prescribed)

• Lack of documented target blood-thinning levels in this setting

• Long-term risk of bleeding associated with blood-thinning therapy

UNDERSTANDING CLOTTING RISK FACTORS

Currently, there is no accurate way to identify affected individuals who have no symptoms but who may develop a clot. However, these individuals should take preventive measures when they are in situations that place them at increased risk for clots. Coexisting risk factors for the development of clots include: