Blood clotting is a normal bodily function that helps heal damaged arteries and veins, but abnormal clot development can be caused by trauma, obesity, genetics, and long-term contraceptive use. Lack or delay in clotting is life-threatening, while excessive clotting can cause organ damage. Genetic or acquired triggers can cause abnormal clot formation, with thrombophilia causing excessive clotting and hemophilia causing excessive bleeding.
Blood clotting is a normal bodily function. It is the body’s way of responding to damaged arteries and veins or broken blood vessels. Blood cells and fibrin strands seek out the loss and build up around it, giving the damage time to heal. While normal clotting is part of the healing process, abnormal clot development is not and can be caused by trauma, obesity, genetics, and long-term contraceptive use.
Coagulation, which is the term used to describe blood clotting, is an important function. A lack or delay in clotting is life threatening, especially due to the increased risk of fatal bleeding following cuts or serious injuries. Hypercoagulation can also be life-threatening when too many clots form or travel to other places.
Excessive clotting occurs when fibrin strands, platelets, and blood cells form more easily than normal or don’t break down properly. When this happens, blood flow is impeded. If the clots remain, organ damage can occur.
The two types of classifications to describe abnormal blood clot formation are genetic or acquired. Genetic causes are rarer than acquired ones. Acquired clots rely on triggers to cause blood to clot. Any condition that causes damage to blood vessels, such as atherosclerosis, can lead to blood clots.
Genetic causes of clotting often result in slow dissolution of clots or an abnormally high incidence of clotting. Many genetic defects cause problems with proteins that are part of the clotting process. There may also be genetic abnormalities in the breakdown of existing clots.
Two disorders are more common. Thrombophilia and hemophilia are two other conditions that cause clotting problems. Despite the confusion about these conditions, they are very different.
Thrombophilia can be acquired or genetic and causes excessive clotting. Clots form and can cause a blockage, but they can also break off and travel through the bloodstream. Traveling blood clots often lodge in the smallest blood vessels. If the clots travel to major organs, damage can occur.
Hemophilia is basically the opposite of thrombophilia. This condition causes excessive bleeding. Blood clotting is non-existent or extremely delayed. Even a small cut can be dangerous. People with hemophilia have a higher risk of developing internal bleeding. The lack of clotting ability allows blood from even the smallest of cuts to bleed profusely.
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