By Dr. David Clark

Mental Health of Carriers in China 

4/2/24  A group of Chinese researchers looked at 127 hemophilia mothers (93 As, 34 Bs) at their hospital.  They found a median clotting factor level (factor VIII or factor IX) of 74% of normal (range 9 – 174%) compared to a median factor level of 149% (range 93 – 189%) in the control group of patients who are not carriers.  Of the carriers, 14.3% had factor levels below 40% and had hemophilia, although some carriers with higher levels also had bleeding symptoms.  On a standardized survey, 67.7% of the carriers had psychological symptoms.  Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) was the most prevalent disorder diagnosed and was sometimes severe.  The authors point out that “it is critical to develop efficient strategies to improve psychological well-being.”  [Wang W et al., Curr Med Sci, online ahead of print 4/22/24]