Athletes’ Blood Aids Haemophilics

Press, Volume C, Issue 29699, 18 December 1961, Page 9

Athletes’ Blood Aids Haemophilics

(New Zealand Preet Association)

AUCKLAND, Dec. 16. Two young Auckland men —tired from a gruelling run in the sun—jogged into Auckland Hospital’s blood dopor rooms one day recently to give blood and established one of the world's first permanent aniti-haemo-philic plasma banks. The blood they gave is called “exercise plasma.” It gives hope to the haemophilic—or “bleeder” —the person who has a clotting iefect in his blood, who can ,ose huge quantities of blood from a small cut, and who often spends much time in hospital. By strenuous exercise, the volunteers, M. Robertson, a former New Zealand Rugby League player, and T. Martin, a young laboratory technician, doubled the level of anti-haemophilic globulin (AHG) in their blood. In concentrated form, boosted AHG stops a haemophilic bleeding more efficiently than anything previously known. Mr Robertson had a particular interest in being one of the first donors. It was his way of thanking the many persons who recently subscribed £2OOO to a fund to send his daughter to Britain for a special spinal operation. The announcement of the chance discovery of "exercise plasma” was made last Xpril. It was found by Dr. C. R. Rizza, of Auckland, while he was working with wo world blood authorities. Dr. R. G. Macfarlane and Dr. Rosemary Biggs, in Churchill Hospital’s blood -oagulation research unit in Oxford. A few months later an Auckland haemophilic who

had been bleeding almost continuously from his kidneys for about tour months began gardening at home because “a tot of activity made him feel better.” Quite suddenly the bleeding stopped. For the haemophilic, the discovery of “exercise plasma" opens up a new future. No longer must he go to bed when bleeding—the hitherto accepted form of medical treatment He Should get sufficient exercise to boost his own AHG level. If he is forced to have surgery, the risks will be greatly reduced. A car accident, ar any other accident involving injuries needing surgery posed tough decisions for doctors and surgeons. “Exercise plasma" is only m the development stage. Few medical people to the world have had any experience of it. In Auckland, 25 donors have already given “exercise plasma." Supplies of the plasma will be made available to all New Zealand haemophilic*.