Hemophilia refers to a group of bleeding disorders in which it takes a long time for the blood to clot. This may cause abnormal bleeding. In most cases, the disorder is passed down through families (inherited) and most often affects males.
The main symptom of hemophilia is bleeding. Mild cases may go unnoticed until later in life, when they occur in response to surgery or trauma. Internal bleeding may occur anywhere. Bleeding into joints is common.
Signs and tests:
Most often, hemophilia is diagnosed after a person has a bleeding episode or there is known family history of the condition.
Review Date: 2/6/2007
Reviewed By: William Matsui, MD, Assistant Professor of Oncology, Division of Hematologic Malignancies, The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.
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Hematology
