What are bleeding disorders?

Bleeding disorders, such as hemophilia and von Willebrand disease (VWD), are caused by missing or deficient blood clotting factors.¹

Clotting factors are specialized proteins that circulate in the blood to control bleeding. These factors work together in a chain reaction to form clots. If even one of these factors is missing or deficient, clotting may be difficult.¹

There are many types of factor deficiencies but the most common among these rare diseases are^2,3:

The genetics of bleeding disorders

Bleeding disorders are conditions that, for the most part, are inherited from an affected parent.^2,4 However, sometimes bleeding disorders are the result of a spontaneous genetic mutation rather than genetic inheritance, and other times they are developed later in life.^2,5 Regardless, it’s nobody’s fault for having or passing along a bleeding disorder gene. While bleeding disorders cannot be prevented, they can be treated and managed.^6-8