Hemophilia is an X-linked recessive disorder, which means the faulty gene is located on the X chromosome. Males (XY) are more commonly affected because they have only one X chromosome. If they inherit the defective gene, they will manifest the disorder. Females (XX), on the other hand, must inherit two defective genes (one from each parent) to exhibit symptoms. Females with one defective gene are carriers and can pass the gene to their offspring.
