For a disorder with such a long history, treatment for haemophilia wasn’t discovered and available to patients until relatively recently. Imagine being a young boy, playing in the school-yard with your friends, and living in fear of a bleed because the only treatment option available to you is rest and an icepack. For Brian O’Mahony, Chief Executive of the Irish Haemophilia Society and President of the European Haemophilia Consortium, this was the reality of childhood.
“There was literally no treatment for haemophilia when I was born. Bleeds were common and they would take a long time to resolve”, says Brian, who lives with haemophilia B. “My mother lost two sons to haemophilia before I was born, so you can imagine that the greatest fear was that you would get a bleed and die.”
Although treatment options were limited in his younger years, Brian has witnessed first-hand the strides that have been made in the treatment of haemophilia and has seen quality of life vastly improve for patients over the years. By the time he was a teenager, factor concentrates (in which the missing clotting factor is taken from human plasma, a component of the blood, and concentrated) had been discovered. This treatment became readily available in Ireland as he embarked on his academic career in Dublin, allowing him greater freedom and enabling him to treat bleeds at home, should they arise.
“Growing up with haemophilia, you don’t know anything different – it’s your norm. For me, it’s still not routine to give myself an IV injection a few times a week, but having that be an option meant I could pursue my dreams and worried less if I did experience a bleed because I knew I didn’t have to deal with the complications of going to the hospital for treatment.”
Engaging with the community
In 1982, after completing his education in biochemistry, Brian’s uncle encouraged him to give back to the community by joining the board of the Irish Haemophilia Society for a one-year assignment. That proved to be the mere beginning of his longstanding engagement with, and advocacy for, the haemophilia community. Through participation on the board, Brian was introduced to many men with haemophilia and their families who, like him, were living with haemophilia. He became intimately aware of the challenges they faced and the needs of the community both at home and abroad.
In addition to the everyday challenges of living with the disorder, HIV hit the haemophilia community in the early 1980s, particularly those living with haemophilia A, due to contaminated clotting factor concentrates. The devastation caused by this epidemic, as well as an insight into the needs of patients in developing countries following attendance at the 1984 World Federation of Hemophilia congress, solidified for Brian the need to continue advocating for the community. “It was a tough time for the community – no one wanted to speak publically about what was going on and how people were affected. By the mid to late 80s, the impact of HIV on our community had become quite noticeable and that really spurred me to get even more involved. I was fortunate to escape infection with HIV but I felt a strong obligation to help my friends and colleagues who had not been as fortunate”. Since then time, he has been heavily involved not only in Ireland but also globally, playing an instrumental role in helping underserved countries develop and implement strategic plans for better treatment and access.
Brian notes that the haemophilia community at large has always been tight-knit and very active, but he has also seen changes in their approach to treatment and management of haemophilia over time. “This generation in particular wants to be included in decision making around their healthcare – they aren’t willing to just take a directive from their doctor. Today, patients and their families engage in dialogue with their doctor around treatment options, how they best suit their needs and lifestyle, and take care to adapt this over time to ensure their needs in managing their condition are being met.”
Advancements in haemophilia
When it comes to treatment and meeting patient needs, Brian says that from his point of view the biggest advancement in the field of haemophilia to date has been the availability of at-home treatment. For many, this means the ability to treat a bleed as soon as it happens instead of having to travel to a clinic or hospital, as was the case in past years. Rapid treatment of a bleed allows the patient to prevent the bleeding from progressing into a joint or muscle and thereby minimising the potential for long-term damage. In addition to being a large improvement from a medical standpoint, this has also significantly improved quality of life for patients and their families.
While there have been improvements in quality of life and the potential for more rapid treatment of bleeds, Brian says that treatment is different for each patient and hurdles remain. In countries where treatment regimens are more readily available, venous access can be a challenge for some patients and the need to infuse medicine intravenously, sometimes multiple times a week, can be a daunting task for both children and adults. Furthermore, access to treatment is variable, particularly in emerging countries where even a standard treatment like factor concentrates that could help patients to manage their disorder are not readily available. It is estimated that 70% of people with haemophilia globally have little or no access to treatment.
Despite these challenges, Brian holds great hope for the future of haemophilia. To-date, he notes that advancements in the field have been incremental in nature, and that innovation over the last two and a half decades has been moderate.
“What’s promising is that with the products coming in the pipeline now and in the next five years, we’ll see more change in the haemophilia landscape than in the last 25 to 30 years,” says Brian when talking about the future of haemophilia. “We’ve had practically no new innovative treatments in this time, and it’s exciting that new options might provide better care and quality of life for patients.”
When asked what his overarching advice is to the haemophilia community, Brian says that it’s important that patients and family members continue to educate themselves and constantly strive for improvement, while setting realistic goals. With proper planning and treatment, he notes that living with haemophilia can be manageable, and the disorder doesn’t have to limit daily life.
As a leader in the community and one with a strong voice, Brian O’Mahony has great hopes for the future of haemophilia treatment as well as the younger generation of people with the disorder, who will become the future leaders in this community.
To learn more about the haemophilia organisations Brian is involved with, please visit:
Learn more about the history of haemophilia in the timeline below.
Haemophilia care through the ages
Haemophilia is a relatively uncommon disorder, but it has a long history dating back at least 2,000 years. In this timeline we explore some of the key milestones and treatment advances to date.