Prophylaxis is the name given to regular treatment to prevent bleeds. For someone with haemophilia this is treatment, typically 3 times a week which helps the blood to clot and minimises the likelihood bleeds and long-term joint damage.
Those people with moderate haemophilia rarely have spontaneous bleeds, so the principal goal of prophylaxis is to effectively convert a patient with severe haemophilia to moderate haemophilia by administering factor regularly.
Prophylaxis is a hugely important for people living with haemophilia. Severe haemophiliacs who experience spontaneous bleeds into joints may sustain long-term damage such as arthritis, with certain joints becoming more vulnerable ‘target’ joints.