Conditions That We Treat

HEMOPHILIA

Hemophilia is a disorder of the blood that makes it hard for the body to stop bleeding because a good blood clot can’t be made.  When bleeding occurs, the body has many proteins and cells that come to fix the problem by making a blood clot where the bleeding.  The proteins that help stop bleeding are called clotting proteins.  If the body does not have enough of one of the clotting proteins (also called factor proteins), it is hard for the body to stop bleeding.   When someone has Hemophilia A,  do not have enough, of the clotting protein called Factor VIII (8).  When someone has Hemophilia B, they do not have enough, of the clotting protein called Factor IX (9). Hemophilia only affects the making of a clot, not how fast the body bleeds. Bleeding may last longer or may restart minutes, hours or days after stopping.

VON WILLEBRAND DISEASE

von Willebrand Disease is the most common inherited bleeding disorder.  von Willebrand factor is one of the clotting proteins that is needed to help the body form a clot to stop bleeding.  It also carries another clotting protein, factor VIII (8),  to the bleeding site and protects it from be destroyed.  People who have von Willebrand Disease do not have enough von Willebrand factor and/or the von Willebrand factor does not work like it should.  For these people, it takes longer for a blood to clot to be made and for bleeding to stop.  von willebrand Disease only affects the making of a clot, not how fast the body bleeds. Bleeding may last longer or may restart minutes, hours or days after stopping.