Hemophilia Dictionary

factor assay: A blood test that determines the level of factor VIII or factor IX in the bloodstream.

factor concentrate: A blood clotting factor that has been freeze dried into a powdered form for storage and medical use.

factor deficiencies: Blood disorders caused by low or missing levels of blood clotting factors.

factor VIII: A substance needed for proper blood coagulation. A lack of factor VIII prevents the formation of fibrin, a substance vital for proper blood clotting.

factor IX: A blood clotting factor. The lack of factor IX is a symptom of hemophilia B.

fibrin: Protein threads created during the coagulation process that bind together and strengthen the initial platelet clot.

fibrin clot: The desired result of coagulation: a strong plug of fibrin protein that stops bleeding.

gross hematuria: Visible blood in the urine.

hematologist: A specialist in the treatment of blood disorders.

hematuria: The presence of blood in urine.

hemoglobin: The blood protein responsible for transporting oxygen and carbon dioxide.

hemophilia: Broad term used to describe several inherited bleeding disorders that impair proper blood coagulation.

hemophilia A: Sometimes called classic hemophilia, hemophilia A is caused by a lack of factor VIII. A lack of factor VIII impairs blood coagulation. The hemophilia A gene is carried on the female X chromosome.

hemophilia B: Hemophilia caused by a lack of coagulation factor IX.

homeostasis: The process the body uses to stop bleeding.

hepatitis C: A virus that causes severe liver inflammation. In the 1980s, hepatitis C was spread through improperly screened blood transfusions.

hereditary disorder: A genetic disorder passed from parents to their children.

Human Immunideficiency Virus (HIV): The virus that causes AIDS. In the 1980s improperly screened blood transfusions were contaminated with the HIV virus.

immune tolerance therapy: Daily infusions of clotting factors designed to lower the amount of antibodies the immune system produces in response to the introduced blood factors.

infusion: The injection of medication into a vein.

inhibitors: Antibodies produced by the immune system in response to introduced blood factors. The inhibitors try to destroy the introduced factors, impairing blood clotting.