Hemophilia, which is a genetic and hereditary disease, causes changes in blood clotting and, therefore, causes symptoms such as:
- Purple spots on the skin;
- Swelling and pain in joints;
- Spontaneous bleeding, for no apparent reason, such as in the gum or nose, for example;
- Bleeding that is difficult to stop after a simple cut or surgery;
- Excessive and prolonged menstruation.
The more severe the type of hemophilia, the greater the number of symptoms and the earlier they appear, therefore, severe hemophilia is usually discovered in the baby during the first few months of life, while moderate haemophilia is usually suspected around the 5 years old, or when the child begins to walk and play.
However, mild hemophilia can be discovered only in adulthood, when the person suffers a severe blow or after procedures such as dental extraction, where bleeding is above normal. To better understand what causes and the major types of this disease, check out the myths and truths about hemophilia.
How to confirm the diagnosis
The diagnosis of hemophilia is made after an evaluation by the hematologist, who asks for tests that evaluate the blood's ability to coagulate, such as coagulation time, which checks the time the blood takes to form a clot, and the dosage of presence of factors clotting and blood levels.
The clotting factors are essential blood proteins, which come into action when there is some bleeding, to allow it to stop. The absence of any of these factors causes diseases, as in type A hemophilia, which is caused by the absence or decrease of factor VIII, or type B hemophilia, in which factor IX is deficient.
There are deficiencies of other clotting factors that can also be detected through these tests, and also cause bleeding and may be confused with hemophilia, such as factor XI deficiency, for example, popularly known as hemophilia type C.
When you suspect hemophilia
One should be wary of haemophilia, and take the exam when:
- The father or mother has hemophilia;
- The mother carries the hemophilia gene;
- The child has symptoms suggestive of hemophilia.
In some cases, the examination can be done still in the maternal uterus, through the biopsy of the chorionic villi or collection of material by amniocentesis or cordocentesis.
Symptoms that suggest the presence of a coagulation disorder are:
| In the baby or child | In the adult |
| Presence of purple or dark spots on the skin; | Wounds that bleed a long time or take a long time to heal; |
| Bleeding at birth the first teeth; | Swelling in muscles or joints, very painful, which prevents movement; |
| Increased amount of purple spots when baby starts crawling or walking; | Loss of blood through the nose or mouth; |
| Cuts that bleed beyond expected. | Surgical procedures that bleed excessively, such as removal of a tooth or obturation. |
The risks of this disease to health can be avoided with the treatment for hemophilia, which consists of periodic injections to restore the clotting factor that is deficient, to prevent bleeding, or to stop some bleeding that has started. Learn more about how hemophilia treatment is done.
