20 known cases of blood disorders in CNMI

About 20 people on Saipan and Tinian have been diagnosed with blood disorders, according to Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. pediatrician Dr. Tiffany Lin and Marianas Health physical therapist Pam Carhill.

During an outreach last Thursday at the Garapan Street Market to raise awareness about bleeding disorders, the two disclosed that 20 people have been diagnosed with either hemophilia or Von Willebrand’s Disease on Saipan and Tinian.

Marianas Health physical therapist Pam Carhill, third from left, Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. pediatrician Dr. Tiffany Lin, and volunteers raise awareness on bleeding disorders among woman at the Garapan Street Market last week. (Jayson Camacho)

Hemophilia is a rare bleeding disorder in which the blood doesn’t clot normally. It is usually passed on from parents to children.

Von Willebrand’s Disease is a condition that can cause extended or excessive bleeding in which the condition is inherited and in rare cases may develop later in life.

Lin said there are very few people in the CNMI who are aware of bleeding disorders that affect women and they are trying to raise awareness of this malady, “particularly Von Willebrand’s Disease, because it is something that you can be born with and run in families…and I would like to find the number of people [on Saipan] who do have it and make sure that they get the right medicines and treatment that they need.”

Undiagnosed bleeding disorders can lead to severe bleeding into the brain, severe joint damage and death after small accidents, childbirth, or dental procedures.

Lin told Saipan Tribune that people who may have concerns about bleeding disorders can consult their primary care doctor such as an internal medicine doctor, an obstetrician or gynecologist, or a pediatrician.

“They also can refer the patient to me. I am able to see kids at the Children’s Clinic of the Commonwealth Health Center. I am working on being able to see adults, so it’s a work in progress,” Lin said.

Carhill of Marianas Health said that she has worked with bleeding disorder patients for quite a few years.

In an email to Saipan Tribune over the weekend, Carhill said their efforts to raise awareness of this disorder will continue with an educational conference in December.

The conference will be sponsored by the Maternal and Child Health Division of Public Health and will include a family day for patients and families to learn more about their disease, interact with the newly formed bleeding disorder team, and create a community of support.

“The addition of this subspecialty care in bleeding disorders will improve healthcare in the CNMI and is a unique medical service that is not available elsewhere in Micronesia,” Carhill stated.

Carhill stated that if any of your loved one has had easy bruising, nosebleeds that don’t stop unless seen by a doctor, menstrual periods that last over seven days every month, bleeding into the muscle or joint, or needed a blood transfusion for an unexpected reason, they should contact their doctor for evaluation and referral to the hematology team.

The hematology team is coordinated through Carhill at Marianas Health.

For more information on bleeding disorder call Marianas Health at 233-4646 or visit www.hemophilia.org or www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/vwd for more information.