Cause of death in hemophilia A patients in the United States from 1968 to 1979.

Death data on 949 hemophiliacs for the years 1968-1979 have been analyzed. The median age at death has increased from 33 to 55 years. There was no evidence of new diseases caused by the more intensive therapy during this time interval. The leading infectious disease was hepatitis, accounting for eight deaths. Only one acute hepatitis death was listed after 1974, when sensitive tests for hepatitis B antigen screening of plasma were implemented. Cirrhosis was a primary or associated cause of death in 76 cases (8%) and pneumonia was a primary or associated cause of death in 62 deaths (6.5%). The types of malignancies in hemophiliacs were similar to those in the male US population with no evidence of excessive retrovirus malignancies prior to infection with HIV-1.