Hemophilia is an inherited bleeding disorder in which a person lacks or has low levels of certain proteins called “clotting factors” and the blood doesn’t clot properly as a result. This leads to excessive bleeding.1 According to the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH), about one in 10,000 people are born with this disease.2
The extent of your symptoms depends on the severity of your factor deficiency. People with a mild deficiency may bleed in the case of trauma. People with a severe deficiency may bleed for no reason. This is called “spontaneous bleeding.”1
Spontaneous bleeding can cause the following:
Hemophilia is an inherited genetic condition, meaning it is passed down through families. It’s caused by a defect in the gene that determines how the body makes factors VIII, IX, or XI. These genes are located on the X chromosome, making hemophilia an X-linked recessive disease.1