In a bid to raise awareness about the bleeding disorder and to bring it to the attention of policymakers, April 17 is celebrated every year as World Hemophilia Day. Hemophilia is a rare disorder in which the blood of the patient does not clot properly due to lack of blood-clotting proteins. When a person with hemophilia suffers an injury, the lack of clotting factors can cause him to have excessive bleeding. They do not bleed faster than others, they just bleed for a longer time.
This year, the theme of the day has been kept as ‘Access for All: Partnership. Policy. Progress. Engaging your government, integrating inherited bleeding disorders into national policy.’ The aim is to sensitize people and governments on the disease and achieve better diagnosis by providing people with access to healthcare.
April 17 was chosen to mark World Hemophilia Day to commemorate the birthday of Frank Schnabel, the founder of the World Federation of Hemophilia. Since then, the day is observed to bring people suffering from hemophilia and other bleeding disorders together.
On this day, the World Federation of Hemophilia asks famous landmarks all over the world to light up in Red to show solidarity with those suffering from the disorder.
Hemophilia and other bleeding disorders can cause a person to bleed longer than normal due to not having enough clotting factors. Some patients with the severe condition can even experience bleeding in muscles, joints and other parts of the body.
Other symptoms of the disorder also include excessive bleeding after dental work, deep or large bruises, unusual bleeding after vaccination, blood in urine or stool, nosebleeds without a known cause or swelling, and pain or tightness in joints.
For people with severe hemophilia, a minor bump on the head can cause bleeding in the brain which can have serious complications.
Hemophilia is an inherited disorder and is usually passed on from the parent to the child. Thus, it becomes imperative to raise awareness on the disorder for early diagnosis.
Source: Azerbaijan State News Agency