You may have heard someone say: “You don’t look sick.” Few phrases can be as disheartening to someone battling a lifelong, or chronic, illness. Blood diseases are just one such category of ailment that rarely shows to the outside world.
In particular, bleeding disorders are rarely observable. People with hemophilia A, hemophilia B, or von Willebrand disease do not look any different than you or your neighbor.
In fact, unless your neighbor tells you about his or her bleeding disorder, it is likely you’ll never know anything about it.
Most people think of bleeding disorders as only affecting boys. It is true that hemophilia affects boys in the large majority of cases, but with the exact right circumstances, girls can also have hemophilia. On the other hand, von Willebrand disease affects either gender.
There are quite a few stigmas and misconceptions surrounding bleeding disorders. Some people believe that a person with hemophilia can bleed to death from a paper cut. This is simply not true. For people without one of these blood disorders, a paper cut, or any cut for that matter, will bleed for a short time until the blood clots to form a protective scab that stems the flow of blood. People with bleeding disorders have less of one of the clotting agents. Therefore, their cut will scab over, but it will take longer and more blood will be spilt.
While these cuts are worrisome, what people with hemophilia and von Willebrand fear more are internal bleeds.
A minor bump, twist, or even too much activity can cause a bleeding incident inside the body. Of particular note are bleeds that involve joints, as they are the most prone to minor traumas. Blood will flow into the surrounding tissue and cause painful swelling. Permanent damage can be done to these joints if immediate treatment is not administered.
Keep in mind that not everything is obvious to the world around you. Read more about bleeding disorders by clicking here.
