Hemophilia dietary taboos

Hard and prickly foods that may scratch the digestive tract, long-term consumption of large amounts of foods/supplements with clear anticoagulant effects, and foods that will increase the burden on the liver. In addition, most daily foods can be eaten normally, and there is no need to overly restrict foods that may lead to malnutrition.

Last year, I met a 12-year-old patient. The elders in the family listened to folk remedies on the Internet, saying that beef, mutton, and seafood were all "fatty foods" that would cause bleeding. They even dared to eat half an egg a day. In half a year, the child lost 8 pounds, his legs were soft when walking, he fell several times, and he was hospitalized twice for joint bleeding. Later, I adjusted my diet and relaxed my eating habits, gained 10 pounds in weight, and practiced muscle training with a rehabilitation practitioner. I felt more energetic and the number of bleedings was reduced by more than half.

The thing you need to be most careful about is actually things that can scratch your digestive tract easily. Don’t think this is a trivial matter. There was a 28-year-old patient who was greedy in the summer and ate crayfish without clean tails. The hard shell scratched his esophagus and he vomited two mouthfuls of blood. He was later hospitalized for several days to have his factor stabilized. There are also the crucian carp with fine spines, dried small fish that have been dried hard in the sun, brittle bones that have not been cooked until soft, and broken bones accidentally bitten when chewing large stick bones. These are the real high-risk elements. This is not to say that these things cannot be eaten at all. Crayfish should be trimmed off their whiskers and shells. When eating fish, choose longli fish or pangasius fish without bones, or pick all the bones in advance. It is absolutely fine. You can’t even avoid high-quality protein because of taboos.

There is another controversial point: can spicy food be eaten? There is currently no unified clinical conclusion. Some doctors believe that capsaicin will dilate peripheral blood vessels and may increase the risk of bleeding, and recommend that it be completely avoided. ； However, many clinicians have suggested based on actual follow-up experience that as long as you have the habit of eating spicy food and do not have basic gastrointestinal diseases such as gastric ulcers, eating a small amount of spicy food will not induce bleeding at all. I have previously followed up with several patients who live in Chongqing. They grew up eating spicy food. After being diagnosed with hemophilia, they did not completely stop hot pot. As long as the spiciness is controlled well, there has never been a bleeding problem caused by eating spicy food. On the contrary, many patients who are unable to eat due to deliberate taboos often bleed more frequently due to their weak constitution.

As for foods with anticoagulant effects, don’t be afraid of what you hear. For example, black fungus does have the effect of inhibiting platelet coagulation, but if you eat cold fungus once in a while, the intake will not reach the amount that can affect blood coagulation. As long as you don't eat a big plate every time and eat it for a month or two, it will have no effect at all. What you really need to pay attention to is the kind of purified supplements, such as high-dose ginkgo leaf extract, deep-sea fish oil soft capsules, and high-dose vitamin E supplements. These have high effective concentrations. If you take them by yourself, they may really reduce your coagulation function. If you want to take them, you must tell your doctor in advance and evaluate the risks before taking them.

There is another point that many people don’t know: patients with hemophilia use coagulation factors for a long time, and their livers are already burdened more than ordinary people, so don’t add more trouble to it. It’s best not to touch a drop of wine, throw away moldy rice noodles and peanuts directly, and don’t eat blindly those three-no liver-protecting health products that are touted as magical. I met a patient before. He heard someone said that a certain health product could "improve coagulation ability." After taking it for three months, his transaminase tripled. Later, the effect of taking the factor was much worse, and he still suffered after spending unjust money.

In fact, to put it bluntly, the diet of hemophilia is really not that particular. We have to be careful not to bump into each other and take factor supplements regularly. We are tired enough. Don’t put so many shackles on yourself when it comes to diet. Just remember not to eat things that are easy to prick or scratch. Don’t take anticoagulant supplements blindly. Don’t drink alcohol and don’t blindly take three-no health products. Eat whatever you want. Keep up with nutrition and be in a good mood. It’s better than anything else.