Acquired Hemophilia in a Patient Presenting with Swollen Left Limb / 가정의학회지

ABSTRACT

Acquired hemophilia is a rare, potentially life-threatening disease that usually remains under-recognized especially in a primary setting; thus, diagnosing this disease is very challenging. Given its prevalence in elderly patients, awareness and diagnosis of this condition in the aging population (particularly those with unexplained bleeding or prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time) should be improved and better managed by the clinicians. Early diagnosis and prompt treatment are usually effective in preventing the adverse outcomes of this disease. In this report, we discuss a case of an elderly patient with acquired hemophilia who initially presented with swelling of his lower left limb. The diagnosis of acquired hemophilia was made a month after the appearance of symptoms. Early diagnosis with proper treatment could have been provided to this patient, if the initial assessment had been thoroughly conducted.