Haemophilia 

Haemophilia is a genetic (inherited) condition that affects the blood’s ability to clot.

Normally, if you cut yourself, proteins called clotting factors combine with blood cells called platelets to make the blood sticky. This makes the bleeding stop eventually.

However, in haemophilia, there are not as many clotting factors in the blood as there should be. Therefore, someone with the condition will bleed for a longer time than usual.

Find out more about the causes of haemophilia.

Haemophilia is often associated with external bleeding. However, a more common symptom is internal bleeding. This usually occurs around the joints and muscles. Internal bleeding can cause symptoms of pain and stiffness and, over time, it can damage the joints.

The symptoms of haemophilia can be mild, moderate or severe. This will affect how the condition will be treated.

The way that haemophilia genes are passed down through family members means that haemophilia almost always occurs in males.

It is essential that patients with the condition are registered at their local haemophilia centre, which is a useful source of advice and support.

Find your local haemophilia centre.

Types of haemophilia

The two most common types of haemophilia are haemophilia A and haemophilia B.

Both types have the same symptoms. However, the two types are caused by problems with different clotting factors and have slightly different treatments.

There is also a rarer form of haemophilia called acquired haemophilia. This is not an inherited condition but is caused by the immune system (the body’s natural defence against infection and illness) attacking the clotting factors in the blood.

This section is about haemophilia A and B. See the Haemophilia Society website for more information about acquired haemophilia.

Treating haemophilia

There is no cure for haemophilia. However, the outlook for the condition is generally good. This is due to major advances in treatment during the 1990s.

One of the most important developments in treating haemophilia was the creation of genetically engineered clotting factors to prevent and treat prolonged bleeding. The clotting factors can be given by regular injections.

The advantage of the newly developed medications is that they do not contain human proteins. This means that using them does not put you at risk of contracting blood-borne viruses, such as HIV or hepatitis C.

Mild and moderate haemophilia are usually treated as required. Severe haemophilia is usually treated using preventative treatment.

If it is not treated, severe haemophilia can lead to serious joint and muscle problems or potentially life-threatening internal bleeding. Some people with moderate haemophilia may also be at risk of these symptoms.

Read more about treating haemophilia.

How common is haemophilia?

Haemophilia A is the most common type of haemophilia. It is estimated that 1 boy in every 5,000 will be born with haemophilia A.

Haemophilia B is much less common than haemophilia A. It is estimated that 1 boy in every 30,000 will be born with haemophilia B.