More than 12,000 people in the country suffer from hemophilia, a condition which impairs the body’s ability to make blood clots, a process needed to stop bleeding, said Ahmad Qavidel, CEO of the Hemophilia Charity Organization in Tehran. Hemophilia is diagnosed through blood tests to determine if clotting factors are missing or at low levels, and which ones are causing the problem. “Many people may have hemophilia but may not be diagnosed for the genetic disorder. Heavy or prolonged menstrual bleeding may be a sign of the disorder in girls and women,” he said, ISNA reported. Hemophilia International Awareness Day is held annually on April 17 since 1989. The day was chosen in honor of Frank Schnabel, the founder of World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH), whose birthday falls on April 17.
