Haemophilia
Haemophilia
Haemophilia (pronounced: hee-muh-FIL-ee-uh) is a rare, inherited bleeding disorder in which the blood doesn't clot normally. The term is derived from the Greek words haima meaning "blood" and philia meaning "love", indicating an abnormal affinity for bleeding.
If you have haemophilia, you may bleed for a longer time after an injury than you would if your blood clotted normally. Small cuts usually aren't much of a problem, but more severe injuries may result in serious problems and can be life-threatening.
Types of Haemophilia
There are two main types of haemophilia:
- Haemophilia A: This is the most common type and is caused by a deficiency in factor VIII, one of the proteins that helps blood to clot.
- Haemophilia B: This type is less common and is due to a deficiency of factor IX.
Symptoms
Symptoms of haemophilia vary, depending on the level of clotting factors. If the clotting-factor level is mildly reduced, bleeding may occur only after surgery or trauma. If the deficiency is severe, bleeding may occur spontaneously.
Treatment
Treatment includes regular replacement of the specific clotting factor that is reduced. In the past, this was done by slow injection into a vein. More recently, recombinant clotting factors have become available.
See Also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Haemophilia
- Wikipedia's article - Haemophilia
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