Study of clinical characteristics, presentation, and complications among patients with congenital coagulation disorders.

OBJECTIVE To study the clinical characteristic, presentation, complications in patients with congenital coagulation disorders who attended the Congenital Coagulation Disorders Center, Baghdad, Iraq. METHODS This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Center of Congenital Coagulation Disorders, Al-Mansour Pediatric Teaching Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq between March 2008 and August 2008. The sample comprised 243 patients with different congenital coagulation disorders. We collected the data through structured questionnaire form and carried out the physical examination of the patient under the supervision of the physician-in-charge at the center. RESULTS Hemophilia and Von Willebrand Disease (VWD) constituted 90.1% of the sample, while rare bleeding disorders constituted 9.9%. Most patients (82.7%) have had onset of symptoms during the first year of life. Clinically, 52.7% of patients presented with hemarthroses were hemophiliacs and factors X deficiency. This distribution was also true for joint limitations. CONCLUSION Most patients were hemophiliacs and the highest prevalent of symptom was 6-12 months old, and the diagnosis of the disease was highest within one month after the onset of symptoms. Most patients with joint limitation was hemophiliacs and approximately 50% had limitation of 3 or more joints.