Detection of carriers of hemophilia by hemorrhagometry.

Hemorrhagometry measures bleeding time, bleeding intensity and blood loss from a small standardized skin wound. In patients with hemophilia these values are within the normal range when hemorrhagometry is performed at room temperature (24 degrees C). However, when the wound is cooled to 17 degrees C (cold tolerance test), bleeding time is abnormally long in hemophiliacs. Therefore we applied this test to carriers of hemophilia. The cold tolerance test was performed in 16 proven and 6 probable carriers (criteria according to Nilsson). 14 proven and 4 probable carriers showed abnormal bleeding times of 15 min and more. When hemorrhagometry was performed at room temperature, the carriers could not be distinguished from normal control persons. Of 15 sisters and aunts of hemophiliacs without male offspring (potential carriers) 9 had abnormal cold tolerance test findings, in fair agreement with the probability of 0.5 to be expected theoretically. Thus the hemorrhagometry cold tolerance test seems to be helpful in detecting carriers of hemophilia.