Haemophilia is a hereditary bleeding disorder, in which there is a partial or total lack of an essential blood clotting factor. The lifelong disorder results in excessive bleeding, and many times spontaneous, which, very often, is internal.

Haemophilia A is the most common form, referred to as classical haemophilia. It is the result of a deficiency in clotting factor 8, while haemophilia B (Christmas Disease) is a deficiency in clotting factor 9. This illness is a sex-linked recessive disorder. Due to the sex-linkage of the disorder, there is a greater prominence in males than in females. About a third of new diagnoses are where there is no previous family history. It appears world-wide and occurs in all racial groups.

About 6,000 people are affected with haemophilia in the UK. There are about 5400 people in the UK with haemophilia A and about 1100 with haemophilia B. Blood tests can determine the presence of the haemophilia condition, and more specifically whether it is a type A or a type B disease. Usually, infants do not show signs before 9 months of age. Administration of clotting factors help affected individuals to live with the disease.

There are various lifestyle changes that one can make as a haemophiliac, and though a serious disease, it can be tolerable with proper precautions and therapy. The prospects for youngster with haemophilia are excellent. Only a few decades ago, children with haemophilia had a significantly reduced life expectancy. They were often crippled with arthritis and joint deformity by their teens and had to attend special schools for disabled people.

Many recent studies have documented a greatly increased life-expectancy among people suffering from haemophilia in developed countries over the last few decades. Children with haemophilia now face few limitations. They certainly attend normal schools, most jobs are open to them, and full participation in society through employment, marriage and having children is now the norm. It is anticipated, however, that the number of people with haemophilia in developed countries will increase steadily over the next few decades.