Comprehensive Hemophilia Treatment Center

Our comprehensive Hemophilia Treatment Center strives to improve the quality of life for patients affected by hemophilia and its related bleeding disorders and complications.  We offer a variety of services such as personalized care, counseling and educational programs – just to name a few.

Hemophilia

Hemophilia is a sex-linked, genetic bleeding disorder characterized by a deficiency or absence of one of the clotting proteins in plasma. The result is delayed clotting in an affected individual. While deficiencies can occur in any of the clotting proteins, factor VIII deficiency (Hemophilia A) and factor IX deficiency (Hemophilia B) are the most common. The frequency of factor VIII deficiency is thought to be approximately 1 per 10,000 male births; for factor IX deficiency, the frequency is approximately 1 per 30,000 male births. Although hemophilia occurs predominately in males, females can carry the gene which causes hemophilia and pass it along to their offspring. Hemophilia is a lifelong condition for which there is no cure at this time. However, it can be treated. With proper medical care, a person with hemophilia can look forward to a normal life into adulthood. The goals of treatment are early recognition of bleeding episodes and appropriate, timely intervention to prevent complications. The effects of untreated bleeding in a person's joints are debilitating. Joint damage can be a major long-term problem for someone with hemophilia.

Von Willebrand Disease

Von Willebrand Disease (vWD) is the most common inherited bleeding disorder. Von Willebrand Disease is generally inherited on an autosomal basis and thus occurs with equal frequency and severity in males and females. The disease is due to a reduction or abnormality of a glycoprotein (called von Willebrand factor or vWf) in the blood that is necessary for normal platelet function. Because this protein serves as a stabilizer of factor VIII, vWf activity in the blood is ordinarily decreased in proportion to the reduction in measurable factor VIII. Symptomatic patients with von Willebrand Disease will usually present with bleeding from the mucous membranes, gastrointestinal tract, or urinary tract. They often have a history of easy bruisability, epistaxis, menorrhagia, or excessive bleeding after surgical or dental procedures. People with vWD rarely experience the joint and muscle bleeding frequently observed in people with hemophilia.

Adult Clinical Services

• Our physician, nurse and social worker are available to provide personalized medical care, emotional support, and education about hemophilia and related bleeding disorders.
• Referrals for genetic counseling and information about carrier testing are available.
• Confidential HIV-antibody testing for patients, spouses/partners and family members is available.
• An assortment of literature concerning hemophilia, related bleeding disorders and HIV is available free of charge for patients and other interested persons.
• The Hemophilia Handbook is available free of charge to all patients living in Georgia.

Medical and Nursing Services

• Our nurse and social worker can provide updated information on HIV/AIDS treatments and protocols and offer private education and counseling sessions.
• We can provide written guidelines for the treatment of hemophilia and related bleeding disorders to local emergency rooms or private physicians.
• Our nurse can provide in-service education on bleeding disorders for emergency room staff, nursing personnel, and other medical professionals.
• A Physician-to-Physician hotline is available 24 hours a day. An emergency room or personal physician may call this hotline for assistance in the medical management of problems related to hemophilia.

Community and Educational/Career Services

• Our nurse and social worker can conduct educational sessions in the community regarding bleeding disorders and their complications.
• Vocational counseling and referrals are available to patients who wish to explore career and educational opportunities.

Schedule an Appointment Now

The Georgia Regents Medical Center Adult Hemophilia Clinic maintains a flexible clinic schedule and is available for consultation. Our office is open Monday through Friday with a hematologist on call 24 hours a day.

Schedule an online appointment now or call 70-721-2273 to speak to a member of our hemophilia CARE team.

If you would like further information about our Community, Educational/Career and Medical and Nursing Services please call 706-721-0870.

Pediatric Clinical Services

Our Pediatric Comprehensive Hemophilia Treatment Center is a part of the Children’s Hospital of Georgia and offers a variety of services including:

• Diagnosis, evaluation and management strategies to all hereditary hemorrhagic or thrombotic disorders.
• Comprehensive annual evaluation including medical, social, nursing, dental, nutritional, physical therapy, surgical and genetic evaluation.
• Routine follow-up and management of bleeding or thrombotic disorders.
• Evaluation and management of complications associated with bleeding or thrombotic disorders.
• Referral to multiple pediatric subspecialties.
• Physical therapy.
• Multidisciplinary approach to hemostatic disorders requiring surgery.
• Information regarding current clinical trials.

Pediatric Hemophilia Clinic Team

Our full time physician and director, Afshin Ameri, M.D. has extensive experience in the management of hereditary bleeding disorders. He is board certified in Pediatric Hematology Oncology and is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Our nurse coordinator, Valerie Crenshaw, R.N., and social worker, Amy Green L.M.S.W., are available for education and counseling.

Schedule an Appointment Now

Schedule an online appointment now or call 70-721-2273 to speak to a member of our pediatric hemophilia CARE team.  The Pediatric Hemophilia Clinic meets in the Adult Sickle Cell Clinic at 1521 Pope Avenue.

The Pediatric Hematology Oncology Clinic may be reached at 706-721-3626.

For more information on hemophilia or von Willebrand Disease (vWd), you may contact the National Hemophilia Foundation.