Hemophilia

Hemophilia __Overview:__ Hemophilia is a recessive genetic medical condition that causes the inability for your blood to clot which can make any cut or wound close to fatal if not helped or treated right away. The gene is linked on the x chromosome making hemophilia recessive. hemophilia is caused by your body missing a clotting protein that prevents your body from bleeding out when a cut or injury is received. Even bruises can be bad if you have hemophilia because they can spark internal bleeding and bruises can last much longer on someone with hemophilia than someone without Hemophilia ([|2]). There are two types of hemophilia, hemophilia type A and hemophilia type B. Hemophilia A is caused by a deficiency in factor VIII while hemophilia B is caused by a deficiency in factor IX ([|1]). Internal bleeding and cuts are much more dangerous than external cuts because internal bleeding can hurt or damage vital organs. **__Signs and symptoms:__** Excessive bleeding from cuts, Large deep bruises, pain in joints, bleeding from nose, and blood in urine. Plasma levels above 50% are also a sign that you may have Hemophilia. Spontaneous bleeding is also very common in people with hemophilia and should be treated or covered immediately so blood loss is minimal. If there is bleeding into the brain some symptoms will be, constant vomiting, blurred or double vision, tired or drowsy, weak and clumsy, and seizures ([|3]). __**Genetics:**__ Hemophilia is a sex linked recessive disorder.[|(5)] There are three different types of hemophilia. Hemophilia A and hemophilia B. One in five thousand males are born with hemophilia A and one in thirty thousand males are born with hemophilia B. People affected with hemophilia have a genetic mutation in the affected gene on the X chromosome. The last type of hemophilia is acquired hemophilia in which the condition is developed through out his or her lifetime. It happens when the body forms antibodies that attack one or more clotting factors which prevents the blood to clot. [|(6)]

__**Distribution:**__ Hemophilia affects people from all parts of the world and from all racial and ethnic groups. Hemophilia does affect males more than females. [|(7)]

__**Management and Treatment:**__ In severe cases of hemophilia a replacement of the clotting factor needed could be created by donated blood and then being placed in your vein through a tube. Other therapies include: Desmopressin: a hormone to release more clotting factors Anti-Fibinolytics: helps to prevent clots from breaking down Fibrin Sealants: applied directly to the wound to prevent clotting and help the wound heal faster Physical Therapy: can reduce signs and symptoms and can also help damaged joints due to internal bleeding Simple First Aid Care: minor cuts can be treated using first aid and applying pressure Vaccinations:

__**Miscellaneous:** [|(8)]__
 * Hemophilia is on the X chromosome so it is much more common in men than in women.
 * You can live a normal life with Hemophilia but you must be cautious of things you do.
 * Many royal families in the 18th and 19th century had Hemophilia so it is called the "Royal Disease".

__**Society and culture:**__ People with Hemophilia can and do live completely normal lives and it does not put them at a disadvantage in almost anything except for sports or activities where injuries are common. Most people either do not know what Hemophilia is or do not notice it in people because unless bleeding or big random bruises are seen there is no positive way to know someone random has Hemophilia. Hemophilia can also cause problems with joints that are more noticeable than people that have hemophilia and don't have problems with their joints. Overall society views people with hemophilia as normal people just like them and if they act any different towards them it may be more careful so that they do not get injured. Hemophilia does not affect one specific group of people more often than not other than men. 1 in 5,000 men have hemophilia but that is only because hemophilia is on the X chromosome. Hemophilia does not occur more often in any specific ethnic or racial group than another.[|(9)]

__**History:**__ Hemophilia was first called the Christmas disease from the first person to obtain/ become diagnosed with hemophilia in 1952 who's name was Steven Christmas. Before that many people in royal families in the 1800's had this disease and it was named the royal disease then. This disorder was first found to be in Queen Victoria and then found in rulers of other nearby countries like Russia, Germany, and Spain. The word hemophilia is Greek for hamia meaning blood and philia meaning affection.[|(10)]

__**Further Research:**__
 * Everything about Hemophilia and to donate to charities for hemophilia go to: [|Hemophilia.org]

Images:

This is the elbow joint of someone with hemophilia when they get the symptom of pain and inflammation in joints.

This is a man with hemophilia who has gotten random extreme bruises and a cut that won't stop bleeding.

video:

media type="youtube" key="BoXBuJSURTI" width="560" height="315" A video teaching people the basics of hemophilia and how it works.

__References:__ __[|1.) Types of hemophilia (Hemophilia.org)]__ [|2.)Hemophilia.org] [|3.)Mayo Clinic] [|4.)Types of treatments (Mayo Clinic)] [|5.) Hemophilia Handbook] [|6.) types of hemophilia] [|7.) Hemophilia facts and disease center] [|8.) The Health Site] [|9.)CDC hemophilia lifestyle] [|10.) Hemophilia name]