How is hemophilia inherited?

It almost always is inherited (passed down) from a parent to a child. Both hemophilia A and B are inherited in the same way, because both the genes for factor VIII and factor IX are located on the X chromosome (chromosomes are structures within the body’s cells that contain the genes).

Why is it called Christmas disease?

Hemophilia B is also known as Christmas disease. It is named after the first person to be diagnosed with the disorder in 1952, Stephen Christmas. As the second most common type of hemophilia, it occurs in about 1 in 25,000 male births and affects about 4,000 individuals in the United States.

Why is Christmas disease called Christmas disease?

What is haemophilia and what causes it?

Haemophilia is a genetic disorder that impairs the ability of the body to clot the blood, which is required to stop bleeding. Haemophilia is caused due to genetic mutation. It involves the mutation of genes that are essential for the clotting of blood.

Can hemophilia be caused by spontaneous mutation?

Spontaneous Mutations. Approximately 30\% of hemophilia cases are due to spontaneous or random mutations within the gene. In these cases, the father does not have hemophilia, the mother is not a carrier and the child develops hemophilia as a result of a new mutation.

Can a male have a disease like hemophilia?

Thus, males can have a disease like hemophilia if they inherit an affected X chromosome that has a mutation in either the factor VIII or factor IX gene. Females can also have hemophilia, but this is much rarer. In such cases both X chromosomes are affected or one is affected and the other is missing or inactive.

What is the pathophysiology of acquired hemophilia?

In the case of acquired hemophilia, the body attacks its own clotting factors, usually factor VIII. This reduces the amount of factor VIII available to effectively promote blood clot formation and prevent major bleeds.