Why is hemophilia known as a European royalty disorder? Was this spontaneous mutation unique to the area or did its true origins become overshadowed by the fact that royalty possessed it?

by [deleted]

[deleted]

SgtSmackdaddy

Hemophilia is a recessive genetic disorder which means that both mom and dad have to be at least carriers (not symptomatic of the disease but carry the mutation). In efforts to keep the bloodlines within a certain social strata mating choices were severely restricted. Normally random breeding makes it very unlikely that two carriers will have a baby but if you inbreed the odds of two carriers goes up exponentially.