the efficacy of platelet-rich plasma in the treatment of hemophilic arthropathy

Background: the most clinical manifestation of hemophilia, as a congenital bleeding disorder, is the intra-articular hemorrhage. the treatment of acute hemarthrosis with a sufficient amount of factor replacement will return the joint to the normal status. objectives: this study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of platelet-rich plasma in the treatment of hemophilic arthropathy patients to reduce and improve their pain and physical function. methods: consecutive patients with hemophilic arthropathy were included in a self-control openlabel trial in mofid children’s hospital, tehran, iran. all participants received three platelet-rich plasma injections given two weeks apart. also, the seriate self-reported and objective clinical outcomes were evaluated before and three months after the treatment. results: a total of 11 patients with hemophilic arthropathy involving 14 joints received three injections of platelet-rich plasma at 2-week intervals, at our center. all patients were evaluated with a visual analog scale, the hemophilia joint health score, and the range of motion, and bleeding events, before and after the treatment. finally, 9 boys (81.8%) and 2 girls (18.2%) completed the study. the mean age of the participants was 14.7 years (range, 9-19 years). in all patients, statistically significant improvements were noted on all evaluated measures. conclusion: platelet-rich plasma therapy is a reasonable and minimally invasive procedure that includes beneficial chondro-regenerative properties.