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Hemophilia

An inherited bleeding disorder in which the blood does not clot normally and leads to both spontaneous bleeding and bleeding following surgery or injuries.

The function of clotting factors in blood are to stop bleeding, however people with Hemophilia have low levels of clotting factors, particularly VIII or IX.

The severity of Hemophilia depends on the amount factor on the blood, the lower the amount of the clotting factor, the more severe and the more likely the patient will experience serious health problems.

Hemophilia is caused by mutation in the gene, located on the X chromosome, that provides instruction for making the clotting factor. The two most common types of hemophilia are A, caused by a lack or decrease of clotting factor VIII, and B, caused by a lack or decrease of clotting factor IX. Hemophilia A is four times more common than B and about half of the people with hemophilia A have the severe form of the disease. Hemophilia occurs in about 1 of every 5,000 male births. Currently, about 20,000 males in the United States are living with hemophilia and all racial and ethnic groups are affected.

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About 20,000 males in the United States are living with hemophilia and all racial and ethnic groups are affected.