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Bleeding disorders are a group of medical conditions that center on the body's blood clotting process. Bleeding problems can lead to heavy and prolonged bleeding after an injury and sometimes bleeding may start without warning.

Two common bleeding disorders are hemophilia and von Willebrand disease.

Hemophilia

• Hemophilia is a genetic disorder that primarily affects males.
• The disease is caused by a deficiency or absence of a blood protein (called factor) necessary for clotting.
• The two most common forms of hemophilia are hemophilia A (factor VIII deficiency) and hemophilia B (factor IX deficiency).
• Hemophilia is present in all ethnic and racial groups. The disorder occurs in one of every 7,500 live male births. In the U.S., more than 18,000 people have hemophilia.¹
• Hemophilia can be classified as mild, moderate or severe depending on the amount of factor in the blood plasma.

Signs and symptoms:

• Bleeding into joints, muscles or tissues and associated pain, swelling, warmth and stiffness
• Prolonged bleeding after surgery, dental work or injury
• Excessive bleeding following circumcision
• Easy bruising
• Blood in the urine or stool
• Spontaneous bleeding
• Mucosal bleeding

Treatment: Treated with clotting factor concentrates. Treatment can include post-injury infusion and/or prophylaxis infusion.

Von Willebrand disease

• Von Willebrand disease is caused by a defect in the blood clotting protein called von Willebrand factor.
• The disease affects males and females and is present in all ethnic groups.
• Von Willebrand disease is usually inherited, although some people with the disease have no family history.
• Von Willebrand disease is the most common bleeding disorder, affecting up to 2 percent of the U.S. population.

Signs and symptoms:

• Easy bruising
• Heavy or prolonged menstrual bleeding in women
• Prolonged bleeding after surgery, dental work, childbirth or injury

Treatment: Treated with hormone therapy (desmopressin acetate) and/or clotting factor concentrates

Reference

1. Bleeding disorders. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Accessed July 2009.