Hemophilia manitoba
Hemophilia manitobaHemophilia Manitoba
Hemophilia Manitoba, or hemophilia, is a sex-linked genetic
disorder that is effecting about 20,000 Americans, most of
which males. A person with hemophilia either has an
inactive or inadequate supply of one of several blood
factors needed for blood to clot. Because of this
hemophilia can be mild, moderate, or severe. Severe
hemophiliacs are at risk for bleeding during surgery,
trauma, or even dental work. There are two types of
hemophilia, A and B (Christmas disease). Hemophilia B is
extremely rare. The majority of the people have hemophilia
A. In hemophilia A, the particular factor missing is 8 for
clotting.
Because hemophilia is sex-linked disorder, it can be passed
on from mother to child. This is because the gene
responsible for making blood factors 8 and 9 are only found
on the X-chromosome. If a female is a carrier that means
that she has one bad gene and one good gene for this
disease. There is a fifty percent chance that she would
pass it on to her child because she can only pass on one of
the two chromosomes. If a male has hemophilia, he will
have normal sons and all of his daughters will be carriers
of the hemophilia disorder because all he can pass on is
the defective X-chromosome.
Males mostly have hemophilia, but women can also have
hemophilia. This is extremely rare though because two
defective X-chromosomes would be needed. In fact, the
first proven case of women having hemophilia was not until
the 1950’s (Bornstein 89). Female carriers are also at
risk. These women are known as asymptomatic carriers and
may suffer excessive menstrual bleeding, bruising,
nosebleeds, and problems during childbirth.
One serious problem with hemophilia is joint bleeds. When
a joint bleeds, a small amount of blood leaks into joint
space and can not escape the joint because it is covered by
a capsule of tissue. If the bleeding is not discovered by
this stage, blood will continue to fill up the joint
space. The joint begins to swell and become
uncomfortable. Eventually, the pressure inside will be
greater than outside and the bleeding stops. Fortunately,
the blood makes digestive enzymes that eats up the trapped
blood. Unfortunately, the digestive enzymes will also
attack the cartilage that covers the bones. After several
bleeds, the cartilage can become worn out and the enzymes
can eat away at the bone.
Hemophilia is either treated each time an internal bleed
occurs or continuously through infusions. An infusion will
stop the bleeding, but only for about a day. Therefore,
most hemophiliacs infuse on a regular basis. Before 1985,
infusions were not screened for viruses. This resulted in
a major outbreak of the HIV virus...
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