Menorrhagia is the most common symptom that is experienced by women with bleeding disorders. Von Willebrand disease (VWD) is the most common congenital human bleeding disorder that is manifested as a quantitative deficiency in Von Willebrand factor (VWF) or dysfunction of this factor. The frequency of VWD is similar in both men and women. However, VWD is more readily detected in women due to th...

Before discussing these specific bleeding disorders, it is helpful to review normal hemostasis ( Chapter 4 ) and the common laboratory tests used in the evaluation of a bleeding diathesis. It should be recalled from the discussion in Chapter 4 that the normal hemostatic response involves the blood vessel wall, the platelets, and the clotting cascade. Tests used to evaluate different aspects of ...

tial acquired bleeding disorder is common in clinical practice. The most common cause is anticoagulant therapy, including antiplatelet drugs. With increasing use of pharmacological thromboprophylaxis in both medical and surgical inpatients and increasing indications for long-term antithrombotic therapy, it is imperative to consider drug-induced bleeding during the initial evaluation of abnormal...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW Management of esophageal bleeding disorder remains a challenging problem. This review focuses on studies published in previous 12 months that provided further understanding on the appropriate treatment of various esophageal bleeding disorders. Other uncommon causes of esophageal bleeding will also be discussed in this review. RECENT FINDINGS With the advances in endoscopic a...

Acquired von Willebrand syndrome (AVWS) is an increasingly recognized entity with numerous potential underlying etiologies. Most commonly implicated are lymphoproliferative, myeloproliferative, cardiovascular, and autoimmune disorders. Unlike inherited von Willebrand disease (vWD), AVWS tends to present at an older age and without a family history of vWD. Treatment is directed at the underlying...

ACQUIRED HEMOPHILIA A occurs as a result of development of inhibitory autoantibodies to factor VIII in the coagulation cascade. These antibodies result in impaired hemostasis and bleeding disorders of variable severities through varied mechanisms including impairment of binding of factor VIII to membrane phospholipids, factor IX, and/or von Willebrand factor. Common presentation includes mucocu...

Both clinical and basic problems related to the congenital bleeding disorders continue to confront hematologists. On the forefront are efforts to bring genetic correction of the more common bleeding disorders such as hemophilia A to the clinic in a safe and accessible manner. A second issue, particularly for patients with hemophilia, is the development of inhibitors-questions of how they arise ...