Hemophilia: Causes, Effects, and Treatments

Hemophilia is a disorder caused by a genetic defect, meaning it is determined from your parents if you will have Hemophilia or not. This disorder is found on the X chromosome, which determines whether a child will be male or female, however males cannot pass this disorder to their male offspring. This disease almost always affects male children, it is very rare for it to develop in female children because they must get a defective gene from each parent. Not all cases of Hemophilia are caused by genetics, some are caused by a normal chromosone which mutates and affects the gene which controls the production of the clotting factor.

What are the symptoms and effects of Hemophilia?
Symptoms of Hemophilia are heavy bleeding, long periods of bleeding, large bruises, bleeding after dental surgery, and blood in your urine. The effects of Hemophilia is that the blood does not clot propperly. This is turn can cause bleeding in the joints and muscles which most commonly cause scarring and severe pain. In more serious cases, Hemophilia can cause bleeding in the brain which can cause brain damage or death.

What are ways to find out if you have Hemophilia?
To discover if you have Hemophilia, you could have what it is called a P.T or Prothrombin Time. This test determains how long it takes for your blood to clot, and it allows doctors to see if the patient needs a blood transfusion.

Will I be alright?
People with Hemophilia can live a normal life, even if they bleed more than ordinary. However, they would have to be cautious in possible physically harmful situations, so people with Hemophilia cannot play many types of sports, such as football or soccer.

What are ways to help Hemophiliacs?
Hemophillia`s treatments are chosen on how critical the disease is, and could have to start directly at birth. Treatments for this are replacing clotting factors, or having to recieve a blood transfusion.
Many methods exist but none have been proven to be more effective then the other.

The main treatment for hemophilia is replacement therapy, By giving or replacing the clotting factor that is too low or missing. Concentrates of the clotting factor are infused, or injected, directly into the bloodstream. Replacement therapy can be used To prevent bleeding, To stop bleeding when it occurs, on an as-needed basis. For mild hemophilia replacement therapy is usually not needed for mild hemophilia; however, a medicine called desmopressin is sometimes given to raise the body's levels of factor VIII. Since the effect wears off with chronic use, it is applied only in certain situations (for exsample prior to dental work, or physical activitys to prevent or reduce bleeding. Desmopressin does not help in hemophilia B.

Moderate hemophilia you may need treatment only when bleeding occurs. You will need to learn to recognize signs and symptoms of bleeding so that you can get treatment as quickly as possible. You may also have treatment to prevent bleeding that could occur when participating in some activity.

Extreme hemophilia in some cases usually need long-term or shorter term preventive therapy to prevent bleeding that could cause permanent damage to your joints, muscles, or other parts of the body. Some people with severe hemophilia receive treatment only when bleeding occurs.

When bleeding occurs, it is important to get treatment as soon as possible. Delayed treatment can and may lead to complications. Learning to recognize any signs of bleeding, and to make sure that it is treated quickly.