Who does hemophilia mostly affect?
Hemophilia A mostly affects males but females can also be affected. Approximately 1 in 5,000 newborn males have hemophilia A. Approximately 60% of individuals with hemophilia A have a severe form of the disorder. All racial and ethnic groups are equally affected by hemophilia.
What happens to your body when you have hemophilia?
What is Hemophilia? Hemophilia is usually an inherited bleeding disorder in which the blood does not clot properly. This can lead to spontaneous bleeding as well as bleeding following injuries or surgery. Blood contains many proteins called clotting factors that can help to stop bleeding.
How does hemophilia cause blood to pool in joints?
When someone damages tissue that surrounds a joint, the tissue will bleed but will coagulate and form a bruise. When a person with hemophilia damages this tissue, they will bleed excessively leading to blood pooling in their joints (Hemarthrosis). When blood contacts joints the cartilage in…
How does septic arthritis affect people with hemophilia?
This can lead to internal bleeding and painful swelling of the joints. Septic arthritis occurs more frequently in people with hemophilia. Abdominal bleeding and digestive problems are concerns in people with hemophilia. Bleeding can cause skin discoloration, pain, and swelling under the skin.
Which is the most common symptom of hemophilia B?
In both severe hemophilia A and severe hemophilia B, the most frequent symptom is spontaneous joint bleeding. Other serious sites of bleeding include the bowel, the brain and soft tissues. These types of bleeding can lead to throwing up blood or passing blood in the stool, stroke, and sudden severe pain in the joints or limbs.
What are parts of the body affected by hemophilia?
Common signs of hemophilia include: Bleeding into the joints. This can cause swelling and pain or tightness in the joints; it often affects the knees, elbows, and ankles. Bleeding into the skin (which is bruising) or muscle and soft tissue causing a build-up of blood in the area (called a hematoma).
What are the effects of hemophilia on the human body?
One of the major systems that hemophilia affects is the musculoskeletal system. In this system hemophilia mainly affects the joints of the body. When someone damages tissue that surrounds a joint, the tissue will bleed but will coagulate and form a bruise.
What is factor 8 clotting disorder?
Factor 8 (VIII) is a specialized protein called a coagulation, or clotting, factor. Hemophilia A is a rare inherited bleeding disorder that typically affects males more than females. While most people with hemophilia A are born with the disorder, roughly one third of all cases are caused by spontaneous genetic changes.
How is hemophilia caused?
Hemophilia is caused by a mutation or change, in one of the genes, that provides instructions for making the clotting factor proteins needed to form a blood clot. This change or mutation can prevent the clotting protein from working properly or to be missing altogether. These genes are located on the X chromosome .