Hemophilia, coagulation, and blood clotting

Last reviewed Tue 13 November 2018

Coagulation is the process of making blood clot. This is an important and complex process that enables the blood to plug and heal a wound. This is how the body stops any unwanted bleeding.

Coagulation involves the action of cells and coagulation (clotting) factors. The cells are platelets, and the coagulation factors are proteins. These proteins are present in the blood plasma and on the surfaces of certain vascular, or blood vessel, cells.

If a person's blood clots too much, they may develop deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and other problems. If it does not clot enough, a person may have hemophilia. In this case, bleeding happens too easily.