Bleeding disorders are a group of conditions that result when the blood cannot clot properly. Around one in 2,000 men, women and children in the UK have a diagnosed bleeding disorder, which is almost always inherited.
The most common is von Willebrand disorder (VWD), which affects slightly more women than men, with 7,625 women and 4,310 men diagnosed in the UK (though many thousands remain undiagnosed). Perhaps the most well-known bleeding disorder is haemophilia A, which predominantly, but not exclusively, affects men. There are also several rare bleeding disorders, which you can read more about below.
As many as a third of bleeding disorder diagnoses have no known family history and can be the result of a random gene mutation. This means a bleeding disorder diagnosis can come completely out of the blue. In addition, many people with a bleeding disorder are undiagnosed or are diagnosed late because of a lack of understanding about these rare conditions. Find out more below.
The Haemophilia Society CANNOT give out any medical, diagnosis or treatment advice. We recommend that you speak to your haemophilia team directly regarding your healthcare concern.