Bloodclotting Disorders

Blood clotting disorders fall into two main categories: inability to clot or over clotting. The bloodstream carries various clotting factors throughout the blood that help platelets, which are small cells that act like a patch, plug holes caused by injury. The absence of platelets or clotting factors cause people to bleed without injury or to bleed too much during surgery. Other disorders cause blood to clot too easily, which can lead to blood clots traveling through the bloodstream. These blood clots can end up in the brain, causing stroke or death, the lungs causing breathing problems or in other parts of the body, causing burst blood vessels.

Von Willebrand Disease

• Von Willebrand disease is a bleeding disorder that affects the blood's ability to clot when the body is injured. A certain protein, called von Willebrand, acts like glue allowing platelets to stick together, forming a clot. This particular disease indicates that this protein is very low or is malfunctioning. This disease is an inherited condition, affecting every 100 to 1,000 people, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Diagnosis of this condition requires a combination of blood tests, physical exam and the patient's medical history. Treatment for this disease for men includes taking a synthetic hormone called Desmopressin. Women may require a combination or one of the following treatments: birth control pills, an implanted birth control device in the uterus containing the hormone progestin, tranexamic acid or aminocaproic acid and Desmopressin.

Thrombophilia

• Thrombophilia is a bleeding disorder that causes the blood to clot easier than normal, leading to unwanted blood clots in the bloodstream. Thrombophilia has two forms, inherited and acquired. The inherited version of this disease is characterized by a gene that extends clotting, too many clotting factors in the blood, deficient/altered anti-clotting chemicals or an extra gene responsible for clotting. Acquired thrombophilia occurs in adulthood, resulting from abnormal antibodies in the blood or as a result from other diseases. Treatments for this disease include low dose aspirin and anticoagulant medicines like heparin and warfarin.

Hemophilia

• Hemophilia is an inherited bleeding disorder characterized by a lack of specific clotting factors in the blood. Hemophilia is divided into two types, type A and type B. Those who have type A are missing clotting factor VIII (eight) and those who have type B are missing clotting factor IX (nine). Symptoms of his disorder includes excessive bleeding from minor injuries, nose bleeds without injury, bleeding from clotted cuts, blood in the urine, blood in the stool, bleeding in the joints and bleeding in the brain. Diagnosis of hemophilia includes examining the patient's medical history, a physical exam and blood tests. Treatment includes replacing clotting factors through an intravenous drip, taking clotting factor concentrates at home, hormonal treatments, gene therapy and taking tranexamic acid and aminocaproic acid to reduce blood clots.

Glanzmann's Thrombasthenia

• Glanzmann's Thrombasthenia is an inherited bleeding disorder that affects the adhesion of blood platelets through a deficiency in protein called platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa complex. This complex works with the von Willebrand factor to help platelets stick together. Symptoms include excessive bleeding after tooth removal at the dentist, bleeding gums, heavy periods, purple spots on mucous membranes or skin, nosebleeds, bleeding in the joints and gastrointestinal bleeding. Blood tests are use to diagnose this disease. Treatment includes platelet transfusions, vaccination for Hepatitis B, birth control pills for heavy periods, or taking Recombinant human-activated factor VII if platelet transfusions don't work.

Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP)

• Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura is a bleeding disorder characterized by low platelet counts, caused when the body's immune system attacks the blood platelets. The immune system attaches an antibody on the platelet, which causes the spleen to destroy it. Symptoms of this disease includes bleeding on the surface of the legs, frequent nosebleeds, unexplained bruising and internal bleeding. Diagnosis of this disorder includes blood tests and a bone marrow biopsy. Treatment of this disorder includes observation (if condition isn't severe), intravenous medications like immunoglobulin, immunosuppressive drugs, chemotherapy or removal of the spleen.