Question

What is the difference between Hemophilia A and B?

Answer 1

Hemophilia is a rare, sex-linked recessive bleeding disorder in which blood can’t clot normally at the site of a wound or injury. It was discovered by John Otto in 1803. Mostly, males are affected. But in rare circumstances, females can also be affected by the disorder. The disorder happens when certain blood clotting factors are missing. When there is a cut or a wound, extensive bleeding will occur because a clot doesn’t form. This is external bleeding. Internal bleeding can also occur.

Complete answer:
Genes involved in regulating the production of FVIII and FIX are found only on the X-chromosome. Hemophilia will occur if there is a mutation in either the FVIII or FIX genes on the X-chromosome.
If a woman has an abnormal gene on one of her X-chromosome, she won’t be hemophilic herself but she will be a carrier of the disorder. There is a 50% chance of any of her sons being hemophilic. There is also a 50% chance that any of her daughters will be carriers of the disorder. A girl can be hemophilic if the father has hemophilia and the mother is a carrier.
There are two types of Hemophilia. Hemophilia A and hemophilia B.

Hemophilia A	Hemophilia B
Also known as classical hemophilia.	Also known as Christmas disease.
Caused by mutations in the F8 gene resulting in the lower production of clotting factor VIII.	Caused by a mutation in the F9 gene, resulting in the lack of clotting factor IX.
The most common type of Hemophilia.	Four times less common than hemophilia A.
About 80% of people with hemophilia have Hemophilia A.	Hemophilia B occurs in 1 out of every 20,000 to 30,000 people.
Treatment typically consists of supplying F VIII to patients intravenously or directly into the bloodstream, as needed.	Treatment usually involves supplying F IX to patients prophylactically on a regular basis to prevent bleeds.

Note:
Medical history and blood tests are the way to diagnose hemophilia. If a person is suspected to be hemophilic, a physician will ask for the medical history of the patient’s family. Blood tests can be done to know how long it takes for blood to clot, the level of clotting factor, or which clotting factor, if any, is missing. The type of hemophilia and its severity can be identified by the blood test result.