Hemophilia
Otherwise known as the Christmas disease
During the early 1960's, Dr. Judith Pool discovered a new disease called Hemophilia. Hemophilia, also known as the Christmas disease, is a single gene mutation bleeding disorder caused by not having the blood clotting factor VIII or IX. This means that the body has a hard time stopping any bleeding. There are two types of Hemophilia; Hemophilia A and Hemophilia B. Hemophilia A is due to the lack of blood clotting factor VIII, while Hemophilia B is due to the lack of blood clotting factor IX. While Hemophilia may be hard to live with, as long as the treatments prescribed by doctors are followed correctly, there is no life expectancy because of Hemophilia. The picture at right shows the amount of blood people with Hemophilia may bleed with a small cut.
The picture above is an example of a joint bleed
The picture above is an example of bleeding into the skin (bruising).
The picture above shows a healthy joint compared to a joint bleeding.
Someone with hemophilia is prone to the long list of symptoms that come with the disease. The symptoms include:
- Bleeding into joints which causes swelling, pain, or tightness in joints like the knees, elbows, and ankles
- Bleeding into skin which is better known as bruising
- Bleeding into muscle and soft tissue which causes a build up of blood in the area which is called a hematoma
- Mouth and gums bleed
- Bleeding after a surgery
- Excessive bleeding after shots like vaccinations
- Bleeding in a baby's head after a hard delivery
- Bleeding in urine
- Recurrent nosebleeds (Difficult to stop)
- Random bleeding
National Hemophilia Foundation
The picture at left is the logo for the National Hemophilia Foundation.
Website: https://www.hemophilia.org/
Location: 20411 U.S. 19, Cranberry Twp, PA 16066, United States
Phone: (724) 741-6160