Hemophilia

        Hemophilia is a blood condition. Actually, it is the most well - known blood disease in the world, simply because it affects a great number of people out there. One of the things that make hemophilia much more dangerous than your average blood problem is the fact that it is a genetic disease. That means that there is something essentially wrong with your body, starting at a chromosome level and working its way up. Also, hemophilia is an inherited disease, mostly, and a very hard to control one.

Hemophilia treatment

        When talking about hemophilia treatment, you have to keep in mind that there is an essential difference between a treatment and a cure. The hemophilia treatment is meant for alleviating the symptoms and preventing bleeding episodes that could debilitate the already too fragile patient. There are several schemes of hemophilia treatment that a hemophiliac has access to, depending on the type of hemophilia he or she suffers from, naturally. Thus, type A hemophiliacs are generally treated with some plasma - derived or recombined genetic factors that replace the missing ones. However, this does not mean the hemophilia will disappear, just that it will minimize its manifestations for a while. Type B hemophiliacs are being injected with factor IX concentrates on an almost daily basis. Unfortunately, the side effects are much more jarring than those of the hemophilia A treatment.

        ...read more about hemophilia treatment: Hemophilia treatment

Hemophilia symptoms

        Hemophilia symptoms are easy to describe and understand, mostly because they are clinically identical for all the variations of hemophilia out there. However, just because of that same reason, they are practically useless when trying to diagnose what particular type of hemophilia does the patient have. For that specific quest, hemophilia testing has been invented and developed.

        The following is a list of hemophilia symptoms that are the most common. Keep in mind that the intensity or the true manifestations of hemophilia differ from patient to patient, since everyone has a unique physiological profile:

• Blood in urine (hematuria).
• Frequent nosebleeds.
• Unusual bleeding after a surgery.
• Bleeding inside a muscle or a joint.

        ...read more about hemophilia symptoms: Hemophilia symptoms

Hemophilia A

       Hemophilia A is the most well known and common type of hemophilia. It affects almost 80% of all the hemophiliacs out there. It is, fortunately, not its most severe form, but that does not stop it from being deadly. Also called classic hemophilia, it has no preference for age, race and social provenience, though it can be called a sexist condition, since it prefers males.

        ...read more about hemophilia A: Hemophilia A

Hemophilia B

       The second most spread hemophilia type, hemophilia B has a rather original nickname. It is called the Christmas disease. Not because it has anything to do with Santa Claus, but rather because it was first diagnosed during the holyday season in 1952. Not as well researched and investigated as hemophilia A, simply because there are fewer patients. It is not more severe or milder than its sibling, but it is more dangerous to treat. The hemophilia B treatment can lead to deadly blood clotting if the dosage is not perfect.

Hemophilia C

        This is the most uncommon form of hemophilia and, also, the most severe. Unlike other types of hemophilia, which have no preference for age, race and social status, this hemophilia variation attacks, almost exclusively, eastern European Jews.

Hemophilia facts

       Hemophilia is one of the most controversial and discussed diseases ever. There are certain things considered true by all of the researchers, certain things considered false and certain things that are up for discussion. Here is a clear and comprehensive list of what is true, what is a fairytale and what could be true, but not right now:

• Hemophilia is a genetic condition: TRUE.
• Hemophilia is caused by the lack of a gene that controls the formation of some much needed clotting factors: TRUE.
• Hemophilia patients bleed faster and in larger quantities than healthy people: FALSE.
• Hemophiliacs only bleed externally: FALSE.
• Only males develop hemophilia: FALSE.
• Hemophilia leads to blood cancer: the jury is still out on this one.

Hemophilia pictures

Hemophilia genetics and hemophilia diagnosis

       The genetics of hemophilia are rather complicated for the uninitiated and best left to be fully explained by authorized parties, but the main idea is that women are rarely affected by hemophilia. They can be carriers, though, and pass the disease onto further generations. Men, however, are almost certainly affected by this blood disease if one of their parents is either a carrier or already a hemophiliac.

       The hemophilia diagnosis is not an easy feature because it involves gene testing, which is rather difficult and expensive. Now, a general hemophilia diagnosis can be given only by recognizing its very specific symptoms. The impossible part comes when you try to differentiate hemophilia types simply by outside signs. This is where hemophilia testing comes into play.

Hemophilia causes and hemophilia cure

       Like it has been stated before, hemophilia is a genetic disease. Thus, its causes are heavily related to flaws in the genes responsible with the formation of clotting factors. Some people have no such genes at all, while others have them, but they are somewhat damaged or modified. The severity of the causes is directly proportional with the intensity of hemophilia.

       Until recently, the hemophilia cure has been considered the Holy Grail of the blood diseases: always desired, always in sight, never quite accomplished. Why the trouble? Well, simply because no one knew how genes work and how they interact with each other. Nowadays, this cure is being slowly, but surely developed.

Hemophilia types and hemophilia testing

       While all of the hemophilia types manifest the same, they do not have the same origins. Thus, there are four main hemophilia types, only three of which are considered real hemophilia:

• Type A hemophilia: is the first one to be discovered and the most investigated one.
• Type B hemophilia: not as popular as hemophilia A and not as dangerous. Still, it is a serious blood condition.
• Type C hemophilia: the rarest form of hemophilia, it is the only one that has a preference for race.
• Von Willebrands disease: this is the one that is not really hemophilia. It is a blood disease, often associated with type A hemophilia.

       Hemophilia testing is the only method through which your attending physician can determine whether you suffer from hemophilia or some other blood illness. Also, gene testing helps establish which kind of hemophilia you are affected by.