Article: The main symptom of hemophilia is that you have a hard time clotting after you start bleeding. Clotting does not usually happen instantaneously but if you have a small cut or a small nosebleed it should begin within a few minutes. If you can't seem to get even a small cut to stop bleeding, then you may have hemophilia. To get a cut to stop bleeding, apply pressure to it with a sterile bandage. Once the bleeding slows down, do not remove the bandage. Simply continue pressure and keep the bandage on so that the clot does not get pulled off the injury. Since hemophilia is a genetic disorder, it is usually passed down from parents to children. If your parents have hemophilia, you are at greater risk of getting it. Additionally, hemophilia occurs in males more often than in women. Ask your parents if they have it or if any of their relatives have it. In many cases, you will already know if your parents have hemophilia. If they do, you are more likely to have it. Hemophilia is a mutation that occurs on the X-chromosome. Men have both X and Y chromosomes, and women have two X chromosomes. This means that to have hemophilia, men only need one mutation in the X chromosome whereas women would require two--one on each X chromosome. So while hemophilia appears more often in men than women, women can carry the gene and pass it on to their sons. There are some reasons you may bleed a lot that have nothing to do with hemophilia. Before you assume that you have this condition, you should rule out possible other causes. For example, if you are taking anticoagulant drugs, which limit clotting, you will bleed longer. There are many medications that can make you blood thin and inhibit your ability to clot, including warfarin (Coumadin, enoxaparin (Lovenox), clopidogrel (Plavix), ticlopidine (Ticlid), aspirin, and NSAIDS, such as Ibuprofen. Other types of anticoagulants include factor Xa inhibitors (Xarelto, Eliquis, Arixtra) and thrombin inhibitors (Angiomax, Pradaxa). Consult with your doctor or pharmacist about whether the medications that you are taking might thin your blood and limit clotting. If you are having unexplained bleeding it could be due to foods that contain salicylate, which naturally thins the blood, or even excessive intake of alcohol. High doses of of garlic, ginger, fish oil, and vitamin E supplements may also act as anticoagulants.
What is a summary of what this article is about?
Identify problems with excessive bleeding and lack of clotting. Think about genetic risk factors. Rule out other factors that could make blood thin.