Signs and Symptoms

Excessive bleeding and easy bruising are the two major signs of hemophilia.

Hemophilia is usually discovered during infancy or early childhood, because of surface bruising caused by falls or bleeding in the mouth from a cut, bitten tongue or losing a tooth. After two years of age, bleeding into the joints, soft tissue, and muscle becomes more common.

In cases of mild hemophilia, symptoms might not become noticed until the child has a dental procedure, surgery, or is involved in an accident.

Internal bleeding can be identified by blood in the urine or stool but also commonly happens in the joints. Joint bleeding can happen even when there has been no obvious injury, and without noticeable pain or signs of bleeding. Any pain, stiffness, or swelling in a joint can help identify a bleed, which needs attention immediately. If left untreated, bleeding in the joint will continue, causing increased swelling, pain, loss of movement in the joint, and potential permanent damage to the joint.

Another serious complication in hemophilia is bleeding in the brain, which can be caused by a minor bump to the head or more serious injury or trauma.

Important signs and symptoms of a brain bleed include:

• Long-lasting or increasingly painful headache
• Neck pain or stiffness
• Repeated vomiting
• Sleepiness or changes in normal behaviour
• Sudden weakness or clumsiness of arms or legs
• Difficulty walking, or with coordination or keeping balance
• Double vision
• Convulsions or seizures