Tomáš Šimurda, Miroslava Dobrotová, Ivana Plameňová, Pavol Hollý, Matej Samoš, Ján Staško, Peter Kubisz
Improvements in treatment options and healthcare provision mean that haemophilia patients now have a life expectancy
approaching that of the normal male population. An increased life expectancy, however, also brings an increased
risk of developing age-related disorders, the foremost of which is cardiovascular disease. The epitome of age-related
morbidity, cardiovascular disease is also a leading cause of mortality in elderly individuals, and presents a particular
challenge when it occurs in persons with haemophilia. While the exact incidence of cardiovascular disease in haemophilia
is unknown, incidence rates from conditions such as ischaemic heart disease (IHD) have steadily risen over the
last 20-30 years, suggesting that cardiac problems are increasingly relevant for these patients. Management of cardiovascular
disease in haemophilia warrants close cooperation between cardiologists and haematologists, and evidence
-based guidelines are not available. In the absence of such guidelines, antithrombotic treatment is currently based on
local clinical experience and adaptation of the general guidelines used in the non-haemophilic population. In this article,
we outline the guidelines used in the mangement treatment of IHD and atrial fibrillation in patients with haemophilia.