This placement is significant: males are more likely to suffer from haemophilia than females because they typically only have one X chromosome, meaning if the IX gene is missing, there is no second copy (as with most females) of X to take over the work of making factor IX.
Then, coagulation researchers Rosemary Biggs and Robert McFarlane discovered that Christmas was missing not this blood clotting protein but a different one, clotting factor IX, and decided to name the new disease after him.
The five-year-old Canadian lad was diagnosed in 1952 when there was only one known type of haemophilia – a condition where people lack the specialised protein clotting factor VIII and are therefore at risk of severe bleeding.
However, with the right treatment and care, there's no reason why Haemophilia B patients can't lead healthy, fulfilled lives – although most are advised to steer clear of activities like contact sports.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) warns that bleeding in a vital organ like the brain can cause long-term problems, such as seizures and paralysis, and on rare occasions even death, reports the Mirror.
