What is hemophilia?

Hemophilia is a deficiency of a blood protein, called factor that helps to clot blood. This deficiency means that the person with hemophilia can suffer prolonged bleeding even with minor injuries. Bleeding can occur internally, in joints and muscles, which causes swelling and severe pain. Repeated bleeding episodes can cause permanent crippling.

The Cause of Hemophilia

Hemophilia is an inherited bleeding disorder, usually manifested only in males. While a male child can inherit hemophilia from his mother, in two-thirds of all cases hemophilia occurs spontaneously, with no know cause.

Treatment of Hemophilia

There are about 20000 hemophilia patients in Pakistan. Hemophilia treatment is expensive. Most patients in Pakistan survive with little or no treatment. The average cost of treatment for one patient is about Rs. 20000 per month, for the life of the patient. Expenses can increase with medical complications.