How to Treat Hughes Syndrome

Hughes Syndrome may be difficult to diagnose, given that the illness can mimic other conditions, but it is relatively easy to treat. The hallmark of Hughes Syndrome is a thickening of the blood, so anti-clotting medications have proven to be quite successful at normalizing blood density, even allowing Hughes Syndrome sufferers to experience healthy pregnancies. Read on to learn how to treat Hughes Syndrome.

Instructions

Employ Common Remedies

• 1

  Use aspirin to thin the blood after receiving approval from your doctor. The use of aspirin has been found to be very beneficial in preventing clotting and has been used to help pregnant women who suffer from Hughes Syndrome avoid miscarriage.

• 2

  Ask your doctor about Warfarin. This is an anti-coagulant frequently used to treat Hughes Syndrome. However, know that Warfarin is not given during pregnancy as it can damage the fetus.

• 3

  Use Heparin as a Warfarin substitute to treat Hughes Syndrome if the sufferer is pregnant.

• 4

  Move about every few hours, whether you are at your desk, in your car or in an airplane. It is important for everyone to keep the blood flowing to prevent clotting, but this is far more important for those suffering from Hughes Syndrome, since their blood is already thicker and more prone to coagulation.

Stay on Top of Blood Changes

• 5

  Get tested often. When on Warfarin or another anti-coagulant, frequent blood tests are often recommended. The blood test used is International Normalized Ratio (INR), which compares the ability of the blood of a person suffering from Hughes Syndrome to coagulate versus the ability of normal blood.

• 6

  Know that a prescription of Heparin doesn't usually require blood tests as frequently as one for Warfarin. However, daily injections of Heparin may be necessary. Ask your doctor how often blood testing needs to be done every time the patient changes medications.

Try a Stronger Anti-Coagulant

• 7

  Ask the attending physician about intravenous immune globulin (IVIG), a way of thinning the blood when aspirin and medications do not work.

• 8

  Know that intravenous remedies for Hughes Syndrome are not recommended for long-term use.