Hemophilia is a rare bleeding disorder in which blood doesnt clot normally.
The disorder is usually inherited, but it can also be acquired.
There are several different types of hemophilia, each differs by the specific clotting factor that is affected.
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The two most common types arehemophilia Aandhemophilia B.
This article discusses the hemophilia, its causes, types, and common symptoms.
It also discusses what you might expect during diagnosis and treatment.
Men born into families with a history of hemophilia are at risk.
To understand the inheritance of hemophilia, we need to talk a little about genetics.
A mother who carries the gene has a 50% chance of passing it on to a baby.
If she passes the gene to a daughter, the daughter will be a carrier.
If she passes the gene to a son, he will have hemophilia.
Your physician will likely start with laboratory tests to assess the entire coagulation system.
These are called the prothrombin time (PT) and partial thromboplastin time (PTT).
The PTT test measures the clotting ability of factors 8, 9, 11, and 12.
Unless there is a clear family history, usually all four factors are tested at the same time.
These tests give your physician the percent of the activity of each factor, which is low in hemophilia.
Diagnosis can be confirmed by genetic testing.
How you are treated is determined by multiple factors, including the severity of your hemophilia.
Fortunately, the majority of hemophilia treatments are administered at home.
Children with hemophilia can also learn how to administer factor concentrates to themselves, often before becoming teenagers.
Although factor concentrates are the preferred treatment, this treatment is not available in all countries.
Hemophilia can also be treated with blood products.
Factor 8 deficiency can be treated with cryoprecipitate (a concentrated form of plasma).
Fresh frozen plasma can be used to treat factor 8 and factor 9 deficiency.
It stimulates the body to release stores of factor 8 to assist in the cessation of bleeding.
Like Hemgenix, it is a one-time treatment that is given by IV.
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