Haemophilia Awareness Week – October 10-16, 2024

History of Haemophilia Awareness Week

Hemophilia is a rare genetic disorder that aggravates bleeding by preventing blood from clotting as it is supposed to. In such cases, the patients lack blood clotting proteins that help stop bleeding and heal wounds. However, the disorder doesn’t affect every patient uniformly. The severity of the disorder depends on clotting factors — this means those who have mildly reduced clotting factors will bleed only after surgery or severe injury. Furthermore, those with greatly reduced clotting factors will have to be careful even if they sustain a minor wound. They can even bleed for no apparent reason!

But how can one identify the symptoms of hemophilia? The symptoms generally include spontaneous or unexplained bleeding from cuts, injuries, and after surgery or dental work. Deep bruises, unusual bleeding after vaccinations, pain, swelling or tightness in the joints, blood in urine or stool, and nosebleeds without a known cause are common symptoms. Among infants, it can be characterized as excessive irritability.

The observation initially started as the Red Tie Challenge, and it has grown and evolved into a month-long celebration of the community of bleeding disorders. During Bleeding Disorders Awareness Month, members, friends, and caretakers of the bleeding disorders community come together to raise awareness in order to improve the lives of those diagnosed with a bleeding disorder. Bleeding Awareness Month and Haemophilia Awareness Week aim to make such disorders manageable by removing stigma and making healthcare accessible.