Bleeding Disorders

Bleeding disorders are usually taken to mean coagulopathies with reduced clotting of the blood but also encompass disorders characterised by abnormal platelet function or blood vessel walls that result in increased bleeding. Bleeding disorders may result from faults at many different levels in the coagulation process. They can range from severe and life-threatening conditions, such as haemophilia A, to much milder variants. Some bleeding symptoms (eg, bruising without obvious cause, nosebleeds and heavy menstrual bleeding) are quite common in the general population and there is phenotypical variation even among individuals with defined bleeding problems. Investigation of mild bleeding problems often fails to provide a diagnosis [1] .