Hemophilia is a disease caused by an inherited defect in a person's blood clotting process. The defect occurs when certain proteins for the process are absent or at a small amount in the body. A hemophiliac will bleed excessively when injured even slightly, more or less depending on the severity of the case. Additionally, hemophiliacs bleed longer than a normal person. Bleeding on the outside of the body can be easy to stop for people with hemophilia. However, internal bleeding may only be cured after the person has been medicated.
The disease occurs mainly in males, but can also occur in females on occasion. The disease occurs in all different races and ethnic groups. One male out of every 4,000 boys born will have this disease. Currently, 20,000 people are known to have hemophilia. 400 more babies each year get it.
The disease has been around longer than any other bleeding disease. Hemophilia mainly occurs in two different inherited types: Hemophilia A and Hemophilia B. Both types can occur in a mild state or a severe state, depending on the case. 85% of the cases that occur are Hemophilia A, while the most of the rest is from Hemophilia B. A small amount of hemophilia occurs because of mutations in the child and not through inheritance. Of all the hemophiliacs, approximately 70% have severe cases of the disease.