Bleeding diathesis is a condition where there is a tendency to bleed due to abnormal blood clotting. It can be caused by coagulopathy, vitamin K deficiency, or genetic disorders such as hemophilia and von Willebrand disease. Symptoms include purpura, nosebleeds, and bleeding gums. Treatment aims to reduce bleeding and may include plasmapheresis, blood thinners, and platelet transfusions. Complications may occur.
Bleeding diathesis is a disorder involving a tendency to bleed or bleed. Hypocoagulability, which is abnormal blood clotting, causes this condition. There are actually several types of bleeding diathesis, ranging from mild to severe. The condition is also known as a tendency or predisposition to bleed.
The event is attributed to coagulopathy. Also known as a clotting disorder or bleeding disorder, it refers to the inability of blood to form clots in the normal way. Hypocoagulability is a type of coagulopathy, which occurs when blood clots too slowly.
Hypocoagulability causes a reduction in platelets, which are involved in the blood clotting process. This in turn leads to excessive bleeding. Two factors that can also contribute to this disorder are Cushing’s syndrome, or thinning skin; and the body’s inability to heal wounds quickly, hence scurvy.
Acquired forms of bleeding diathesis can be triggered by conditions such as leukemia. This is cancer of the blood or bone marrow that involves the reduction of blood platelets. Additionally, a vitamin K deficiency is known to cause massive uncontrolled bleeding.
Bleeding diathesis can also be genetic. Some people don’t have the genes needed to make clotting elements. Two prime examples of genetic disorders linked to coagulopathy are hemophilia and von Willebrand disease (vWD).
Hemophilia is a set of inherited genetic disorders characterized by reduced levels of blood plasma clotting factors. vWD, the most common genetic coagulation disorder, involves the reduction of a multimeric protein required for platelet adhesion. It is named after the Finnish internist who first described the condition. Much rarer genetic forms of the disease include Bernard-Soulier syndrome, Glanzmann’s thrombasthenia and Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome.
The most common symptom is purpura, which is a red or purple patch that occurs when capillaries under the skin burst. They may also be called petechiae or ecchymoses, depending on their size. Other signs include excessive nosebleeds, bleeding gums, and blood in the stools.
Treatment of bleeding diathesis can vary, as there are different types of ailment, although all methods are similar in that they aim to reduce the amount of bleeding. Some treatments include plasmapheresis, blood thinners, and platelet transfusions. From these treatments, patients may experience complications such as soft tissue bleeding; anemia or decreased red blood cell count; and cerebral hemorrhage, or bleeding into the brain.
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