April 17, 2012 - 16:59 AMT
World Hemophilia Day is marked on April 17

World Hemophilia Day is an international awareness day for hemophilia and other bleeding disorders held annually on April 17.

Started in 1989, it also serves to raise funds and attract volunteers for the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH), an international non-profit organization dedicated to improve the lives of people with hemophilia and other genetic bleeding disorders.

Hemophilia may cause bleeding which can damage human organs and tissues and may be life threatening.

It usually is inherited which means that the disorder is passed from parents to children through genes. The two main types of hemophilia are A and B. If you have hemophilia A, you're missing or have low levels of clotting factor VIII. About 9 out of 10 people who have hemophilia have type A. If you have hemophilia B, you're missing or have low levels of clotting factor IX.

According to Armenia’s healthcare ministry, there are about 400 000 patient with hemophilia worldwide.

236 patients are currently treated in the national hemophilia center, of which 57 are children.