hemophilia

noun

he·​mo·​phil·​ia ˌhē-mə-ˈfi-lē-ə 

: a hereditary, sex-linked blood defect occurring almost exclusively in males that is marked by delayed clotting of the blood with prolonged or excessive internal or external bleeding after injury or surgery and in severe cases spontaneous bleeding into joints and muscles and that is caused by a deficiency of clotting factors

Note: Hemophilia is inherited as an X-linked recessive trait in which the mother must pass on a copy of the defective gene to a male child, and more rarely, both parents must pass on copies of the defective gene to a female child.

see hemophilia a, hemophilia b

Did you know?

The dreaded disease known as hemophilia is the result of an inherited gene, and almost always strikes boys rather than girls (though mothers may pass the gene to their sons). Since the blood lacks an ingredient that causes it to clot or coagulate when a blood vessel breaks, even a minor wound can cause a hemophiliac to bleed to death if not treated. Bleeding can be particularly dangerous when it's entirely internal, with no visible wound, since the person may not be aware it's happening. Queen Victoria transmitted the hemophilia gene to royal families all across Europe; the hemophilia of a young Russian prince played a part in the downfall of the Russian czars. Today, hemophiliacs take drugs that stop the bleeding by speeding coagulation, and hemophiliac life expectancies in developed countries are almost as long as the average.

Examples of hemophilia in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

New data from its hemophilia A therapy have left open questions on how many patients would actually want to switch to the treatment. —Elaine Chen, STAT, 26 July 2024

The researchers have already shown that CAHS can preserve human blood clotting factor VIII, a biologic commonly used to treat hemophilia and cases of extreme bleeding on the battlefield. —Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 10 July 2024

In the 20th century, the secret hemophilia of the heir to the Russian empire had a hand in driving the Romanov dynasty to oblivion. —Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2024

Her proposal to study fetal cell and gene therapies for hemophilia in sheep — a step toward clinical trials — had been rejected by the NIH. —Megan Molteni, STAT, 21 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

New Latin

First Known Use

1872, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing hemophilia

• hemophilia A
• hemophilia B

Kids Definition

hemophilia

noun

he·​mo·​phil·​ia ˌhē-mə-ˈfil-ē-ə 

: an inherited blood defect that is sex-linked, is found almost always in males, and is marked by delayed clotting of blood and a resulting difficulty in stopping bleeding

Medical Definition

hemophilia

noun

he·​mo·​phil·​ia

variants or chiefly British haemophilia

ˌhē-mə-ˈfil-ē-ə 

: a tendency to uncontrollable bleeding

especially : a hereditary, sex-linked blood disorder occurring almost exclusively in males that is marked by delayed clotting of the blood with prolonged or excessive internal or external bleeding after injury or surgery and in severe cases spontaneous bleeding into joints and muscles and that is caused by a deficiency of clotting factors

Note: Hemophilia is inherited as an X-linked recessive trait in which the mother must pass on a copy of the defective gene to a male child, and more rarely, both parents must pass on copies of the defective gene to a female child.

see hemophilia a, hemophilia b compare von willebrand disease