Hemophilia A: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment Options
Hemophilia A, commonly known as classical hemophilia, is a genetic bleeding disease characterized by low amounts of factor VIII, a blood protein. Factor VIII acts as a clotting factor. Clotting factors are specialized proteins required for proper clotting, which is the process by which blood clumps together to plug a cut and stop bleeding. People with hemophilia A do not bleed faster or more abundantly than healthy people, but they have trouble halting blood flow from a wound because their blood clots poorly. This is known as prolonged bleeding or a prolonged bleeding event. Based on the individual baseline level of factor VIII, hemophilia A can be mild, moderate, or severe. In mild cases, prolonged bleeding may occur after surgery, dental procedures, or trauma. Symptoms in more severely affected persons may include persistent bleeding from minor wounds, large painful bruises, and unexplainable (spontaneous) bleeding into major organs, joints, and muscles (internal bleeding). It i...