Three years in the making, and it’s finally here–Managing Your Child’s Inhibitor, the world’s first book on inhibitors. At 279 pages, this is a comprehensive look at everything parents and patients need to know about so many aspects of inhibitors. From ITI to pain management, from insurance to attending school, this book weaves together advice from over 40 families with hemophilia, and includes the latest research and knowledge to give you a guidebook through every stage of inhibitor management.
The book is authored by me and my friend and colleague Paul Clement, who also has a son with hemophilia. The idea for the book was born during the Novo Nordisk Consumer Council meeting of 2005, after I heard the anguish, the suffering and saw the tears of so may families with inhibitors. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It was as though inhibitors were a separate disorder. I didn’t know people with hemophilia still suffered like that in the US.
As you may know, an inhibitor is an antibody the blood makes, directed against factor VIII or IX. The body doesn’t recognize the infused factor as belonging to the body–it sees it as a foreign invader and mounts an attack. The body produces antibodies which latch on and neutralize the infused factor. It renders it useless, and the blood continues to bleed. Very scary.
I learned so much creating this book: about pain management, different protocols, and the different products. But most of all, the incredible strength of people with inhibitors and their families. They are truly heroic people. I hope the book is a testament to their courage, and also helps give guidance to families new to inhibitors, so they can learn from their peers, and find the best route to elimination or at least management of the inhibitor.
My thanks to Novo Nordisk, which gave us an unrestricted grant to research write and publish this book. Novo Nordisk is the manufacturer of NovoSeven® RT, a bypassing agent used in the treatment of acute bleeds in patients with hemophilia and inhibitors.
You can order the inhibitor book via our website at https://www.kelleycom.com/books.html