Frequency of postural alterations in haemophiliacs

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: A hemophilia is a chronic disease of genetic origin caused by a mutation of the genes which encode blood clotting factors. One of the consequences of this alteration is the involvement of the musculoskeletal system, which may influence the posture of these individuals. OBJECTIVE:To estimate the frequency of postural changes in hemophilia patients, and identify possible factors associated. METHODS:A cross-sectional descriptive study, conducted with individuals aged ? 18 years,with diagnosis of hemophilia,in follow-up at the Hematology and Hemotherapy Foundation of Bahia (HEMOBA).The participants were submitted to postural evaluation,through visual analysis, Adams test and the application of a semi-structured form.Epi Info® (v.3.5.2) was used for data analysis and to verify the existence of associations between the variables of the study were used the Exact Fisher, Qui-Square and Qui-Square Tests with the Yates correction and considered as statistically significant associations with p <0.05. RESULTS:Twenty-nine hemophiliacs participated in this study, with mean age of 34.98 ± 12,6 years, 25 (86.2%) reported having hemophilic arthropathy. Of the 13 research participants (68.4%) presented scoliotic posture detected by the Adams test.The change was more frequent in individuals with more than one joint affected by hemophilic arthropathy, with a statistically significant value for this variable (p = 0.039). CONCLUSION:The frequencies of postural changes in individuals with hemophilia are elevated with a significant association for individuals over 40 years of age and with with more than one joint affected by haemophilic arthropathy.