Blood clotting, is a significant part of overall blood function. For one, it controls blood loss as the body heals from wounds. However, some people struggle with blood clotting and may not realize how dangerous this is.Hemophilia is a rare blood disorder that prevents the blood from properly clotting. The inability to clot stems from a lack of protein in the blood, which are often called clotting factors. The number of factors within the blood determine whether hemophilia is mild, moderate, or severe. Usually, hemophilia is a genetic disorder that affects middle-aged and elderly people. Late-term pregnant and young mothers who have recently given birth are also vulnerable to this blood clotting condition. Since this is a relatively rare condition, many people are unaware they have hemophilia, making them less likely to seek treatment.
Common Causes of Hemophilia
The majority of hemophilia cases are genetic. Instead of clotting normally, a gene in the blood causes it to mutate. This mutation interferes with the factors in blood responsible for clotting and healing wounds. One of the most common symptoms of people with hemophilia is it takes longer for wounds to heal.
Oftentimes, the hemophilia gene passes through the X chromosome. A female will inherit not one, but two X chromosones. Meanwhile, the male will get one X, which comes from the mother, while the Y chromosone they receive comes from the frather. Mothers are usually the carriers of this gene and pass down hemophilia to their male children.
For 30 percent of hemophilia sufferers, they acquire this condition without a genetic predisposition. These cases are the result of an immune system malfunction, which attacks the blood’s ability to clot. This condition is common in people with:
- An autoimmune disorder
- A late-term pregnancy
- Multiple sclerosis
- Cancer
Families without prior cases of hemophilia can have a baby carrying the gene. This baby then becomes the source responsible for passing it down to further generations.
Hemophilia Symptoms and Signs
Hemophilia symptoms are influenced by the severity of the condition. This is primarily determined based on the amount of FVIII factors in the plasma. Normal cells have between 150 and 50 percent. Symptom severity is based on how low hemophilia levels drop. The closer FVIII levels are to 50 percent, the milder the symptoms. Depending on the severity of the hemophilia, some people don’t realize they have symptoms. In mild cases, bleeding only occurs after surgery or physical trauma. In severe cases, patients experience spontaneous bleeding. Common examples of spontaneous bleeding include:
- Joint pain, tightness, and swelling
- Random nose bleeds
- Bloody urine or stools
- Abnormally large or deep bruising
- Excessive bleeding after vaccinations
- Unexplained infant irritability
- Excessive bleeding from a wound
In addition to a large amount of external bleeding, it’s common for hemophilia patients, especially with type A, to experience internal bleeding. Usually, these symptoms don’t appear until adulthood. Women with hemophilia are more likely to develop menorrhagia, heavier menstrual cycles, and hemorrhage after childbirth. In addition to heavier bleeding, hemophilia prolongs the length of menstruation in women.
Hemophilia Treatment
As soon as these symptoms appear, it’s a good idea to get a diagnosis. Once hemophilia is confirmed, the patient must begin treatment. The best treatment option involves replacing the missing blood clotting factors. Healthcare providers do so by injecting clotting factor concentrates into the patient's vein.
The main types of hemophilia care are episodic and prophylactic. Episodic care helps remedy current bleeding episodes. Prophylactic care options, however, are used to prevent bleeding episodes from occurring. In some cases, hemophilia treatment can be administered at home. At-home treatment reduces blood loss and hemophilia symptoms.
Patients can also visit treatment centers. An HTC, or hemophilia treatment center, allows patients to educate themselves on conditions related to hemophilia and how to treat them. HTCs also have blood disorder specialists on call in case you need immediate assistance. They also offer physical therapists and social workers. Bleeding is a common symptom of physical trauma. However, excessive bleeding caused by hemophilia should be cause for concern. Hemophilia makes it difficult for blood to clot, which leads to larger amounts of blood loss.
Although this disorder is usually genetic, autoimmune disorders and late-term pregnancy blood mutations also cause vulnerability to developing hemophilia. Therefore, it's best to get a diagnosis at the sign of bleeding after a vaccination, bloody urine or stools, and random nose bleeds. Anyone with hemophilia should immediately visit their healthcare provider for treatment to minimize blood loss and other related symptoms.