What happens when someone with hemophilia gets cut?

When anyone is cut, they bleed. People with hemophilia also bleed, although they do not "gush" blood, as is commonly believed. They are not in any greater danger of bleeding to death than anyone else. If the cut is shallow, as from a paper cut or a small razor blade cut while shaving, pressure can be applied to the wound. Pressure - placing your hand firmly on the bleeding to stop the flow of blood - pinches the blood vessel wall to close off the tear. If the cut is large or deep, special medicine might have to be given to stop the bleeding.

People bleed all the time. Sometimes they don't even realize it. You may have bumped your leg today, and you may have broken some blood vessels. Your broken blood vessels may have healed so quickly that you did not even get a bruise.

But if you have hemophilia, the bleeding may have continued at a slow and steady rate until a large "black and blue" mark developed. This may take hours. Bruising may just be bleeding under the skin. Usually this is nothing to worry about.

Adapted from Tell Them the Facts! By Laureen A. Kelley, 1995