What is Hemophilia?

Why in News?

• Hemophilia Day was first commemorated by the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH) in 1989 in remembrance of Frank Schnabel, who was born on April 17, 1942, and spent his entire life working to make the lives of those who were affected by Hemophilia.
• The theme for World Hemophilia Day 2023 is “Access for All: Prevention of Bleeds as the Global Standard of Care”.

About Hemophilia:

• What is it? It is a genetic disorder that affects the body’s ability to form blood clots.
• People with hemophilia have deficiencies or abnormalities in certain clotting factors, which are proteins that help the blood clot.
• Causes: It is caused by a mutation or change, in one of the genes, that provides instructions for making the clotting factor proteins needed to form a blood clot.
• Symptoms: Signs and symptoms of hemophilia vary, depending on the level of clotting factors. 
  • Males are much more likely to have hemophilia than are females.
• Treatment:
  • It typically involves replacement therapy, which involves infusing clotting factor concentrates into the bloodstream to help the blood clot. 
  • Other treatments may include medications to promote clotting or surgery to repair damage caused by bleeding.

Q1) What is blood clotting?

Blood clotting, or coagulation, is an important process that prevents excessive bleeding when a blood vessel is injured. Platelets (a type of blood cell) and proteins in your plasma (the liquid part of blood) work together to stop the bleeding by forming a clot over the injury

Source: World Hemophilia Day 2023: Tips that will help you take good care of kids with this rare bleeding disorder

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