Hemophilia is a rare medical condition where blood doesn’t clot properly. Various treatment options are available to help prevent and control bleeding episodes.\n<\/p>\n
After a cut or injury, the body normally forms clots to stop the bleeding. With hemophilia, it takes longer for bleeding to stop because your blood doesn’t have enough of certain blood-clotting proteins, called clotting factors. There are different types of hemophilia, and each involves different clotting factors.\n<\/p>\n
Hemophilia A <\/p>\n
Also called classic hemophilia, this is the most common type. It affects about 8 out of 10 people with hemophilia. People with hemophilia A don’t have enough clotting factor VIII (factor 8). Hemophilia A can be mild, moderate, or severe, depending on how much factor VIII is missing.<\/p>\n
Hemophilia B <\/p>\n
This type of hemophilia (also known as Christmas disease) occurs when people don’t have enough clotting factor IX (factor 9). It’s less common than type A, although it causes similar symptoms. For every 100,000 males, about 4 have hemophilia B.\n<\/p>\n
Hemophilia C <\/p>\n
This rare type happens when people don’t have enough clotting factor XI (factor 11). Unlike types A and B, which are linked to the X chromosome, hemophilia C is caused by gene changes in a non-sex chromosome.\n<\/p>\n
People develop hemophilia C if they inherit a changed gene from both parents. Hemophilia C occurs in males and females equally. About 1 in 100,000 people have this type, which usually causes milder bleeding problems than other types of hemophilia.\n<\/p>\n
People with hemophilia may experience different symptoms depending on how severe their condition is. Mild cases of hemophilia might only show symptoms after injuries or surgery. But people with severe hemophilia can experience bleeding even without obvious injury.<\/p>\n
Common Bleeding Symptoms <\/p>\n
The main signs of hemophilia involve bleeding that’s hard to stop, such as:\n<\/p>\n
Joint and Muscle Symptoms <\/p>\n
Some people with hemophilia experience bleeding into their joints and muscles, which can cause additional symptoms such as:\n<\/p>\n
Symptoms in Infants and Young Children <\/p>\n
Sometimes the first sign of hemophilia appears when a baby has unusual bleeding after circumcision (a surgical procedure to remove the foreskin of the penis, often done in the first few days of life). In other cases, parents start noticing signs as their baby grows and becomes more active. These signs might include:\n<\/p>\n
Hemophilia is usually inherited<\/strong>, meaning it’s passed down through families in genes.\n<\/p>\n Females inherit an X chromosome from each parent, while males inherit an X chromosome from their mother and a Y chromosome from their father. The genes responsible for making clotting factors are located on the X chromosome.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Males who inherit an X chromosome with the hemophilia gene will likely develop the condition. For females, hemophilia usually only occurs if both X chromosomes carry the gene or if one has the gene and the other X chromosome is missing or not working.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Females with the gene on just one X chromosome are called carriers and may have mild or no symptoms. They can pass the gene to their children.\n<\/p>\n In rare cases, people can develop hemophilia that isn’t inherited. This is called acquired hemophilia<\/strong>, and it happens when your body’s immune system mistakenly attacks and damages clotting factors. This can occur during or after pregnancy, with certain autoimmune diseases<\/a>, or with age.\n<\/p>\n Risk Factors <\/p>\n The main risk factor for inherited hemophilia is having a family history, particularly on the mother’s side. Being male is also a major risk factor for hemophilia A and B.<\/p>\n When there’s a family history of hemophilia, healthcare providers often test newborns for the condition. In other cases, you may be diagnosed with hemophilia after unusual bleeding.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Healthcare providers use several blood tests to confirm hemophilia and determine its type and severity. These tests include:\n<\/p>\n\n