Common bleeding and clotting disorders

common bleeding and clotting disorders

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 cascade. They can range from severe and life-
threatening conditions, such as haemophilia A, to much more mild
variants. Some bleeding symptoms (eg, bruising without obvious cause,
nosebleeds and heavy menstrual bleeding) are quite common in the
general population and there is phenotypic variation even among
individuals with defined bleeding problems. Investigation of mild bleeding
problems often fails to provide a diagnosis

The coagulation cascade
• When a blood vessel is injured, a series of biochemical reactions is
brought into play. This has been presented in the past as a coagulation
'cascade', describing a series of reactions necessary to achieve
haemostasis by developing a clot, stopping its formation at the right
time,and eventually facilitating clot dissolution when the vessel has
healed. The scientific literature has moved towards the concept of a cell-
based model which has more relevance to in vitro mechanisms

• Most of the proteins required for the cascade are produced by the liver as
inactive precursors (zymogens) which are then modified into clotting
factors. There are two routes for activation of the coagulation system. The
intrinsic pathway is activated by contact with collagen from damaged
blood vessels (or indeed any negatively charged surface). The extrinsic
pathway is activated by contact with tissue factor from the surface of
extravascular cells.
• Both routes end in a final common pathway - the proteolytic activation of
thrombin and the cleaving of fibrinogen to form a fibrin clot. The intrinsic
pathway is the main 'player' in this scenario, with the extrinsic pathway
acting as an enhancer.

The cell-based model
• The original cascade proposed by McFarlane in 1964 has been developed
over the ensuing decades. A newer model describes the complex formed
by tissue factor and factor VII. These participate in the activation of factor
IX, indicating that the intrinsic and extrinsic coagulation pathways are
linked almost from the outset.[4] The new cascade model identifies a role
for endothelial cells and details the influence of host factors.

Three stages are identified in the cell-based model in which it is envisaged
that most of the processes involved occur at the cell surface level:
Initiation - tissue factor-expressing cells and microparticles are exposed to
plasma.
Amplification - small amounts of thrombin induce platelet activation and
aggregation and promote activation of factors V, VIII and XI on platelet
surfaces.
Propagation - this involves the formation of proteins (eg, tenase,
prothrombinase) involved in the formation of the thrombin clot.

Congenital bleeding disorders
Haemophilia A (factor VIII deficiency) and haemophilia B (factor IX deficiency
or Christmas' disease) are the most well-known congenital bleeding
disorders as well as celebrated examples of X-linked genetic disease.[7]
Other inherited bleeding disorders affecting the coagulation pathway are
much rarer and inherited in an autosomal recessive fashion; for example,
prothrombin (factor II) deficiency is found in about 1 in 2 million
individuals.
Von Willebrand's disease (vWD) is the most common inherited bleeding
disorder. Usually the condition is mild without spontaneous bleeding. It
occurs equally in men and women and is caused by reduced production or
abnormality of Von Willebrand's factor (vWF) that both promotes normal
platelet function and stabilises factor VIII.
Rare autosomal recessive disorders (Glanzmann's thrombasthenia and
Bernard-Soulier syndrome) affecting platelet membrane glycoproteins
and causing abnormal platelet binding and aggregation

Acquired disorders
• Liver disease and cirrhosis cause reduced synthesis of clotting proteins and
thrombocytopenia.
• Vitamin K deficiency due to dietary deficiency, gastrointestinal malabsorption or absence of
gut bacteria in infancy (haemorrhagic disease of the newborn).[10]
• Shock, sepsis or malignancy can all cause an increased bleeding tendency, often through the
final common pathway of disseminated intravascular coagulopathy (DIC) where simultaneous
microvascular thrombosis and generalised bleeding occur due to massive consumption of
coagulation factors or damage to vessel walls (for example, in meningococcal septicaemia).
• Renal disease causes platelet dysfunction and reduced aggregation.
• Circulating autoantibodies to coagulation factors (eg, in lymphoma and systemic lupus
erythematosus) or to platelets (as in immune thrombocytopenic purpura).
• Amyloidosis where factor X deficiency occurs as well as local infiltration of blood vessels.
• Vitamin C deficiency can cause diffuse haemorrhage in surgical patients.[11]
• Advanced age can be associated with fragile veins.[12]
• Prolonged steroid use is reputed to be associated with hypercoagulability and increased
bleeding tendency. However, one study found that this effect was likely to be of limited
clinical consequence

Symptoms
• Bruising may be spontaneous or recurrent:
• Large bruises on sun-exposed areas of limbs in the elderly are usually due
to cumulative ultraviolet vessel damage and are rarely significant.[18]
• Large bruises on the trunk are more indicative of a bleeding disorder.

• Prolonged bleeding:
• After minor cuts or abrasions.
• Nosebleeds lasting >10 minutes despite compression (especially in
children).
• Severe menorrhagia causing anaemia, with normal uterus.
• Bleeding from gums without gingival disease and unrelated to brushing.
• Following dental extraction.
• Postpartum haemorrhage.
• After injections or surgical procedures.

• Current medication:
• Including aspirin, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, warfarin and
complementary/alternative preparations.
• Remember drug interactions between warfarin and other medications
that prolong the international normalised ratio (INR).

• Family history of bleeding tendency.
• Alcohol intake.
• Other constitutional symptoms - eg, malaise, weight loss.
• Past history or thrombosis (can be suggestive of thrombophilia).
• Previous blood transfusions.
• Renal or hepatic impairment.

Signs
• Systemically look for:
• Pallor.
• Sepsis.
• Haemodynamic status.
• Lymphadenopathy or hepatosplenomegaly.

Check:
• Skin, palate and gums for:
• Bruising
• Petechia (non-blanching haemorrhagic spot <2 mm diameter)
• Purpura (2-10 mm diameter)
• Ecchymosis (>10 mm diameter)

Investigations
• FBC, blood film and platelet count - may detect leukaemia, lymphoma or
thrombocytopenia or abnormal platelets.
• Consider checking U&Es to exclude uraemia causing a platelet disorder.
• Consider LFTs to detect hepatic cause of acquired coagulation factor
deficiency and alcohol-related damage.
• Bone marrow biopsy.
• A coagulation screen usually involves taking blood in a mixture of citrate,
EDTA and clotted sample bottles. It includes:

Activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT):
• This measures the intrinsic pathway (which includes factors I, II, V, VIII, IX,
X, XI and XII) and the common pathway.
• A plasma sample is used and the intrinsic pathway is activated by adding
phospholipid, an activator such as kaolin (which acts as a negatively
charged surface) and calcium ions. The formation of prothrombinase
complexes on the surface of the phospholipid enables the formation of
thrombin and a subsequent clot. The result is reported as the time in
seconds for this reaction.
• The test is used to assess the overall competence of the coagulation
system, as a routine test to monitor heparin therapy and as a pre-
operative screen for bleeding tendencies. It will also reveal possible
coagulation factor deficiencies, as in haemophilia A and B.

Prothrombin time (PT):
• This assesses the extrinsic and final common pathway of the coagulation
cascade, thus can detect factor I, II, V, VII or X deficiency or the effects of
warfarin.
• It is performed by adding thromboplastin and calcium ions to a plasma
sample. The time for clot formation is measured.
• Prolonged time suggests the presence of an inhibitor to, or a deficiency of,
one or more coagulation factors, the presence of warfarin, the existence
of vitamin K deficiency or liver dysfunction.
• The INR, used to monitor warfarin, is derived by comparing the patient's
clotting time to that of a standardised sample

Thrombin clotting time test:
• This measures the rate of a patient's clot formation compared with a
normal plasma control. The plasma is first depleted of platelets and a
standard amount of thrombin added.
• The test is used in the diagnosis of DIC and other conditions that can
affect fibrinogen level, such as liver disease.

• If the above tests are all normal, the vast majority of common
haemostatic disorders will have been excluded. However, if symptoms
persist and/or there is a suggestion of family history, patients should be
referred to a haematologist for further tests which may include:

• Bleeding time - this tests the interaction between the platelets and the
vessel walls. A standardised spring-loaded lancet is used to make a small
cut in the patient's forearm and the time for the bleeding to stop is then
measured. The test is not useful as a screening test, as it has a high false
positive result. It is sometimes used in the investigation of vWD although
even here it has poor specificity.
• The platelet function analyser is a relatively new technique. It has largely
replaced the in vivo bleeding time test although it is not specific for, nor
predictive of, any particular disorder and its limitations need to be taken
into account

• Fibrinogen - the level can be determined by immunological or functional
assay. It is usually performed when APTT or PT screening tests are
prolonged. The main disorders detected are afibrinogenaemia or
hypofibrinogenaemia (due to absence or a low level of fibrinogen
production) and dysfibrinogenaemia (due to a molecular alteration of
fibrinogen, causing poor function). Differences in the level of fibrinogen
measured by the two methods are suggestive of dysfibrinogenaemia.[1]
• Specific factor assays - factors VIII or IX to determine severity of
haemophilia; factor VIII and vWF in vWD.
• Gene analysis looking for specific gene defects.

Management
• Management is dependent on the underlying condition - see separate
articles on Haemophilia A (Factor VIII Deficiency) and Haemophilia B
(Factor IX Deficiency) and the separate article Von Willebrand's Disease.
• Whilst the sex-linked nature of haemophilia results in mostly male
sufferers, women are much more likely to present with mild bleeding
disorders due to the demands of menstruation and childbirth.
Menorrhagia can be tackled by standard means. For further details see
the separate article on Menorrhagia.

Common bleeding and clotting disorders

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