Infections

Blood-borne infections, such as the HIV virus andhepatitis B and C, were a major complication of treatment for hemophilia during the 1980s. These infections were transmitted through the factor concentrates and other blood products that were used to treat hemophilia. The use of large blood donor pools to prepare factor concentrates and the lack of specific tests for infectious agents both contributed to the contamination of blood products used to treat hemophilia. By 1985, about 90% of people with severe hemophilia were infected with the HIV virus, and about half of all people with hemophilia were HIV-positive. Today, improved screening and manufacturing practices including virus removing techniques as well as the development of recombinant factors have essentially eliminated this tragic complication of treatment.