hemophilia

/ˈhiməˌfɪliə/

/himəˈfiljə/

Other forms: hemophilias

Hemophilia is a genetic disorder that makes it hard for a person's blood to clot. People with hemophilia are at risk of bleeding a lot even from minor injuries.

The medical term hemophilia comes from the German hämophile, from Greek roots haima, "blood or streams of blood," and philia, which means "to love" but can also have the sense of "tendency to." The earliest recorded case of hemophilia was in the 10th century, but the disorder wasn't understood until the 1800s. Men are much more likely than women to suffer from hemophilia.

Definitions of hemophilia

1. noun

   congenital tendency to uncontrolled bleeding; usually affects males and is transmitted from mother to son
   synonyms: bleeder's disease, haemophilia

   types:

   classical haemophilia, classical hemophilia, haemophilia A, hemophilia A

   hemophilia caused by a congenital deficiency of factor VIII; occurs almost exclusively in men

   Christmas disease, haemophilia B, hemophilia B

   a clotting disorder similar to hemophilia A but caused by a congenital deficiency of factor IX

   angiohemophilia, vascular hemophilia, von Willebrand's disease

   a form of hemophilia discovered by Erik von Willebrand; a genetic disorder that is inherited as an autosomal recessive trait; characterized by a deficiency of the coagulation factor and by mucosal bleeding

   type of:

   blood disease, blood disorder

   a disease or disorder of the blood

   sex-linked disorder

   any disease or abnormality that is determined by the sex hormones