Managing your care

Meet a haematologist

Getting advice from a specialist haematologist

Prof Pratima Chowdary is a consultant at the Katharine Dormandy Haemophilia and Thrombosis Centre, Royal Free Hospital in London. Here, Prof Chowdary shares some guidance for people living with haemophilia and their families.

Learn how to improve your consultations with your doctor and get the most out of your appointment.

I’m Pratima Chowdary. I work as a consultant at the Haemophilia Centre at the Royal Free Hospital.

What advice would you give to people living with haemophilia and their families?

I think as a patient, it’s important for you and everybody within your family to acknowledge that healthcare comes with a certain amount of workload, whether it is related to the number of injections you have to do, it’s the number of appointments you have to go to, or the records that you need to kind of keep. It’s very important for you to discuss this with your consultant when some changes are made to your regimen, whether it will work for you or you would prefer an alternative arrangement. Unless you have this frank discussion, your clinical team really cannot help you.

What advice would you give for making sure your appointment goes well?

I think one thing that helps any consultation is writing down what you want to ask the doctor, because it’s very common for patients to leave the room and think, oh, I wanted to ask this, or I wanted to ask that. I think a common example I’ve given to patients is that nobody ever remembers what breakfast they had about three weeks back.
Every patient has got their own unique needs, and I think it’s important for you to write down what is important for you, because it will not be the same as the other patient and what the consultant says may not be always be relevant to your particular context. But for it be relevant, it’s very important for you to share your personal circumstances.

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Haemophilia and you

Haemophilia, severity, and bleeding episodes

Living with haemophilia can bring some challenges, like an increased risk of bleeding and joint pain. Learning about your haemophilia is the first step to managing these risks and helping you live life with fewer limitations.

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June 2026