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 are2,3:
Many clotting factors are designated by Roman numerals.1
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
