Hemophilia Have you ever gotten hurt while playing outside or because you fell? Most of us probably have, most of the time we bleed and soon enough our wound heals and the bleeding subsides. In about 1 in 5000 people that is not the case because they suffer from a rare blood disease known as Hemophilia. Like the majority of diseases, Hemophilia has causes, symptoms, and different types of information. First, according to Microsoft Encarta 2008, Hemophilia is a group of hereditary genetic disorders that impair the body's ability to control blood clotting or coagulation, which is used to stop bleeding when a blood vessel is broken. Hemophilia does not allow a wound to scar and so the bleeding continues, possibly causing death in extreme cases. In addition, there is one main cause for Hemophilia, and that is genetics; since the mutation causing the disease is X-Linked, Hemophilia is most common in males because they only have one X-chromosome and one Y-Chromosome, while females have two X-Chromosomes. There are also three types of Hemophilia: Hemophilia A is a recessive X-linked genetic disorder involving a lack of functional clotting Factor VIII and represents 80% of Hemophilia cases. Hemophilia B is a recessive X-linked genetic disorder involving a lack of functional clotting Factor IX. It comprises approximately 20% of Hemophilia cases. Hemophilia C is an autosomal genetic disorder involving a lack of functional clotting Factor XI. Haemophilia C is not completely recessive, as heterozygous individuals also show increased bleeding. Next, there are many ways to find out if you have Hemophilia, characteristic symptoms vary with severity, but in general, symptoms are internal or external bleeding episodes, which are called "bleeds.” Patients with more severe Hemophilia suffer more severe and more frequent bleeds, while patients with mild Hemophilia typically suffer more minor symptoms except after surgery or serious trauma. Prolonged bleeding and re-bleeding are the diagnostic symptoms of Hemophilia. Internal bleeding is common in people with severe Hemophilia and some individuals with moderate Hemophilia. The most characteristic type of internal bleed is a joint bleed where blood enters into the joint spaces. This is most common with severe Hemophiliacs and can occur spontaneously, and bleeding into soft tissues. Children with mild to moderate Hemophilia may not have any signs or symptoms at birth, usually large bruises, and hematomas from frequent bumps and falls as they learn to walk are their first symptoms. Swelling and bruising from bleeding in the joints, soft tissue, and muscles may also occur which can cause tissue damage. Children with mild Hemophilia may not have noticeable symptoms for many years. Often, the first sign in very mild Hemophiliacs is heavy bleeding from dental, an accident, or surgery. Furthermore, Though there is no cure for Hemophilia, it can be controlled with regular infusions of the deficient clotting factor, patients can also undergo gene therapy, also, it is recommended that people with Hemophilia do specific exercises to strengthen the joints, particularly the elbows, knees, and ankles. Exercises include elements which increase flexibility, tone, and strength of muscles, increasing their ability to protect joints from damaging bleeds. These exercises are recommended after an internal bleed occurs and on a daily basis to strengthen the muscles and joints to prevent new bleeding problems. Many recommended exercises include standard sports warm-up and training exercises such as stretching of the calves, ankle circles, elbow fluxions, and quadriceps sets. Last, My Fist Encarta 2009 states that Hemophilia affects 1 in every 5000-10,000 male births and 1 in every 20,000–34,000 female births. Also, some interesting facts about Hemophilia are that about 18,000 people in the United States have