Question

Jenna is an active teenager involved in sports at school and loves playing with her older brothers. Jenna’s mother has noticed that her daughter easily bruises during her activities. Jenna also has had frequent nose bleeds from a young age and has heavy menstrual periods that last longer than usual. Her mother recognizes these symptoms because she has lived with them too. In fact, she remembers Jenna’s grandmother telling her they come from a family of ‘bleeders’.

a. What do these symptoms mean regarding their blood?

b. Would this be a case of hemophilia? Why or why not?

c. What possible condition might they have?

Answer 1

Answer a: These symptoms means that the Jenna and her mother's blood takes longer time to clot or does not clot properly.

Answer b:

Yes this can be a case of hemophilia or it can be a case of Von Willebrand disease also because both these disease are hereditary in nature and in both disease blood takes longer time to clot or does not clot properly due to which there is heavy menstruation, nose bleeds and frequent bruising. But the point to be noted here is hemophilia happens mainly in males and less in females whereas Von Willebrand disease happens equally in males and females.

Answer c:

In hemophilia, due to genetic disorders, there is missing or defective gene for clotting factor VII and due to deficiency of this factor the blood does not clot properly.

In Von Willebrand disease there is deficiency of Von Willebrand factor which is a protein that binds to factor VIII and platelets to form platelet plug for clot formation. Hence defect or deficiency in Von Willebrand factor leads to improper blood clot.