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April 17, 2009, 6:35 pm
Flag as Inappropriate Antony  

I have a new friend who was telling me that he has hemophilia or as he called it "I'm a free bleeder". He was telling me that he lacks one of the bleeding factors in his blood and that he can bleed to death if he gets an injury and it isn't treated properly. He was telling me that he has to take a replacement of the missing factor if he gets injured. It sounds horrible! Does anyone know anything else about this disease? My friend was telling me that it's inherited and that his family carried the disease and had for many years.

I know that it is a genetic condition that is more commonly passed on or developed in boys. There are 2 types I believe and that is A or B - A being you lack the clotting factor VIII and B you lack XI.

Other than that I don't know a whole lot more about it. I read up on it when I was pregnant because it was a concern on my husbands side.

I know a little about it, mainly than it is really an awful disease because something like a cut that would be minor in a normal person can be life-threatening in a hemophiliac. The young crown prince of Russia Alexis suffered from hemophilia, and I've read that it's sometimes called a royal disease since it was at one time fairly prevalent in the British and other royal families.

Yeah, that's it. He was saying that he had a minor head injury when he was young and almost died. He was showing me the scars on his forehead. I asked him which he was and he said he was missing the factor IX and they call it "Christmas Disease". Very interesting if you don't have it.

I think many confuse this with anemia too, which is what I have. I think this is far worse though if I am not mistaken. And hemophilia does not properly control the blood flow where as anemia just does not have nearly enough oxygen to do its job.