Unraveling How a Hemophilia Diagnosis Went Undetected for 60 Years

It was supposed to be a simple, low-risk procedure, but for this 61-year-old patient with undiagnosed hemophilia, undergoing a lithotripsy for kidney stones proved to be anything but. The patient was born in the 1950s in Taiwan, when many people in the country had never heard of the disease. So, despite signs throughout his life, the patient’s hemophilia diagnosis evaded him for decades. Dr. Yeu-Chin Chen, a hematologist at the Tri Service General Hospital's Hemophilia Care and Research Center in Taipei, Taiwan, shares this patient’s journey and how doctors should be on the lookout for signs of hemophilia, while understanding that symptoms can vary from patient to patient.