Hemophilia is a rare genetic disorder that keeps blood from clotting properly. Blood clotting, or coagulation, is an important life-saving process in which blood that's flowing from cut or damaged vessels is thickened and congealed -- creating a scab and stopping the loss of blood before the body goes into shock, or possibly dies.
There are several "clotting factors" that are involved in the formation of a clot. People that have inherited hemophilia have a deficiency in producing a factor, or are producing a mutation of a factor. An inefficient clotting process leads to easy bruising, excessive and uncontrolled bleeding, internal bleeding into the joints, and bleeding in the brain.
Many people are not diagnosed with hemophilia until they experience an episode of abnormal bleeding, or until cases of the condition are found in their family history. As a result, mild internal injuries in a hemophiliac could go overlooked until later in life, exposed only through a surgical procedure or trauma.
If you believe you may have inherited the condition, some signs to be aware of are heavy bleeding after minor cuts, excessive nosebleeds, and blood in your urine. Symptoms of bleeding in the brain include chronic headaches, continual vomiting, double-vision, sudden frailty, trouble walking, convulsions, and seizures.
