Hemophilia
Hemophilia is a sex-linked hereditary bleeding disorder. It occurs when a person has a mutation in one of the clotting factor genes. When a person with Hemophilia cuts themselves, they bleed longer than we do. This is because it takes their blood a long time to clot. Without treatment, a person with Hemophilia could bleed to death.
One of our genes has instructions on how to make blood clots. In people with Hemophilia, these instructions are mixed up. Boys inherit Hemophilia from their mothers, so we call the mother the "carrier". Girls can get it if her father has Hemophilia and her mother is a carrier. Most of the time only males get Hemophilia; about one in four-thousand males are born with Hemophilia. It is very rare for a girl to have Hemophilia. People can only get Hemophilia if your mother is the carrier of the gene.
Hemophiliacs often have spontaneous prolonged bleeding. This disorder can also cause extensive bleeding into the joints, muscles, and vital organs.
There are no cures or preventions for Hemophilia, it all depends on the inherited genes. Although, there are many medications, most people with Hemophilia inject themselves with purified clotting factors to prevent or stop bleeding episodes.
If Hemophilia runs in your family, you can be tested to see if you are carrying a defective gene. This test will show you your chances of having children born with this disorder.
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