World Haemophilia Day 2018: All you need to know about the disease

New Delhi: Every year on 17th of April, World Hemophilia Day is observed throughout the world to increase awareness about the disease and other inherited bleeding disorders.Started in 1989 by World Federation of Haemophilia (WFH), this particular day was chosen to honour Frank Schnabel, the founder of WFH, whose birthday falls on the same date.

The theme for this year’s World Haemophilia Day is ‘Sharing Knowledge Makes Us Stronger’.

Haemophilia is a rare genetic blood disorder in which the blood loses its tendency to clot normally. Due to lack of sufficient blood-clotting proteins, Haemophilia patients bleed for a much longer time after an injury. In this condition, internal bleeding can damage organs and tissue and may be life-threatening. The number of people suffering from the haemophilia is quite rare in the world.

Types of haemophilia

There are of two types of the condition- Hemophilia A and Hemophilia B. Each of them is categorized with low levels of certain clotting factor.

Hemophilia A is a common type and is mainly associated with low levels of clotting factor VIII (8).

Hemophilia B is a rare condition and is linked with low levels of clotting factor IX (9).

The only way to diagnose haemophilia is through a blood test. If the blood sample shows the level of clotting factor between VIII and IX, this means that the person is suffering from the bleeding disorder.

Causes

Haemophilia is caused by genetic mutation. It is transmitted by genes of parents and caused when antibodies formed in one's own body destroys one of the genes that determine how the body makes blood clotting factor VIII or IX.

Symptoms

• Spontaneous bleeding
• Bleeding into muscles or joints
• Prolonged bleeding after surgery or major injury
• Unusual bleeding after vaccination
• Blood in toilets or stools
• Unexplained nosebleeds