DefinitionFactor XII deficiency is an inherited disorder that affects a protein (factor XII) involved in blood clotting.Causes, incidence, and risk factorsWhen you bleed, the body launches a series of reactions that help the blood clot. This is called the coagulation cascade. The process involves special proteins called coagulation factors. (Factor XII is a coagulation factor in this series of reactions.)Each factor has a reaction that triggers the next reaction. The final product of the coagulation cascade is the blood clot.A lack of factor XII does not cause the affected person to bleed abnormally, but the blood takes longer than normal to clot in a test tube.Factor XII deficiency is a rare inherited disorder.SymptomsThere are usually no symptoms.Signs and testsFactor XII deficiency is u