World Hemophilia Day

April 17 is World Hemophilia Day

Hemophilia is caused by problems with clotting factors which causes people to bleed longer than normal. In addition to outward bleeding caused by injury or surgery, internal bleeding is also a concern. Joint problems are common if internal bleeding causes blood to enter joint spaces. There are different forms of hemophilia, and are defined based on the clotting factor affected. Some of these factors are x-linked, so males are more likely to be affected. Treatment often involves clotting factors derived from human blood, which lead to HIV infections before screen protocols were implemented. The risk of infection is lower than what it was in the past, due to screening, improved purification and processing methods, as well as recombinant proteins which do not require human donors.

Many hemophilia organizations also advocate for those dealing with other bleeding disorders.

To learn more:

https://www.wfh.org/en/whd

https://www.hemophilia.ca/

https://www.hemophilia.org/

https://www.haemophilia.org.uk/