Recognizing Bleeding Disorder Symptoms

What Is a Bleeding Disorder?

During normal blood clotting, platelets, a type of blood cell, stick together and form a plug at the site of an injured blood vessel. Clotting factors, proteins that work with platelets to help clot the blood, then interact to form a fibrin clot. Acting as a plug, the clot holds the platelets in place. This allows the injury to heal while preventing blood from escaping the blood vessel. 

The body produces more than a dozen clotting factors. If one of these factors is deficient, blood does not clot as it should. This can lead to a mild, moderate, or severe bleeding disorder. Bleeding disorders can be separated into two broad categories:

Inherited Bleeding Disorders

Inherited – or hereditary – bleeding disorders stem from the absence or deficiency of specific clotting proteins. Bleeding disorders that fall within this category include:

• Hemophilia A: The most common type of hemophilia, hemophilia A occurs due to missing or low levels of clotting factor VIII.
• Hemophilia B: This inherited bleeding disorder is caused by missing or low levels of clotting factor IX.
• Hemophilia C: This is a rare bleeding disorder that occurs when a person is missing or has low levels of clotting factor XI.
• Von Willebrand disease: A common inherited bleeding disorder, von Willebrand disease stems from inadequate levels of a protein in the blood called von Willebrand factor.
• Leukemia: Roughly 5% of cases of leukemia are believed to be hereditary. Unlike the other conditions discussed in this article, leukemia is a cancer, rather than a benign (non-cancerous) disorder.
• Vitamin K deficiency bleeding: This bleeding disorder occurs when people do not have enough vitamin K in their blood to form clots.

Acquired Bleeding Disorders

People also may develop bleeding disorders over the course of their lives. These conditions, which are termed acquired bleeding disorders, may be a consequence of an illness or of medications taken to treat an illness, among other potential causes. Platelet disorders are the most common type of bleeding disorders and are usually acquired rather than inherited. 

Platelets are made in the bone marrow. When the platelet count falls too low, the platelets won’t properly form the clot needed to seal a wound. A lower-than-normal platelet count is called thrombocytopenia.

In rare cases, bleeding disorders such as hemophilia and von Willebrand disease can be acquired later in life. This is seen in patients whose bodies form antibodies that fight against the blood’s natural clotting factors. 

Recognizing Bleeding Disorder Symptoms

Symptoms of bleeding disorders often depend on the type of disorder, and can range from mild to severe. Signs and symptoms of bleeding disorders may include:

• Easy bruising: Bruising that happens for no apparent reason or after a minor injury.
• Unexplained nosebleeds: Bleeding disorders can cause excessive nosebleeds that last longer than 10 minutes. These nosebleeds tend to happen unexpectedly five or more times a year.
• Excessive bleeding from minor cuts: Cuts or other minor injuries that cause bleeding that lasts longer than 10 minutes can be a sign of a bleeding disorder.
• Bleeding gums: Bleeding gums is a frequently reported symptom of von Willebrand disease.
• Heavy menstruation: Heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) can signal a bleeding disorder or another medical issue. The term HMB refers to bleeding that lasts longer than 7 days and heavy flows that require women to frequently change their pad or tampon (every hour or more).

Other signs and symptoms of a bleeding disorder include:

• Blood in urine
• Blood in stool
• Excessive bleeding following surgery
• Swelling and difficulty moving joints, which could signal internal bleeding into joints
• Heavy bleeding after childbirth or miscarriage

A person with a bleeding disorder may only become aware of the condition or experience symptoms after sustaining an injury or undergoing a medical procedure. Speak to your healthcare provider if you notice any of the above signs or symptoms.

What Raises the Risk of Bleeding Disorders?

Genetics and other factors, such as certain medical conditions and medicines, can cause bleeding disorders. In some cases, however, determining the underlying cause can be challenging.

The following risk factors can increase the chances of having a bleeding disorder.

Age

While bleeding disorders can occur at any point in a person’s life, certain types are more common at specific ages. For example, acquired hemophilia A is more commonly seen in older adults than in younger people.

Family History of Bleeding Disorders

As mentioned, genetics play a major role in developing bleeding disorders. A person is at elevated risk if an immediate family member has a bleeding disorder.

Medical Conditions

Certain medical conditions or procedures also may increase the risk of developing an acquired bleeding disorder. These risk factors include:

• Cancer
• Infections
• Severe injury or trauma to the brain or body
• Immune disorders
• Postpartum bleeding, which can diminish the body’s clotting factors
• Liver disease
• Certain skin conditions
• Congenital or acquired heart diseases

Some medical treatments also can increase the risk of a bleeding disorder, including:

• Blood thinners, which help prevent blood clots from forming
• Devices that increase blood flow
• Antibiotics
• Surgeries

Sex Assigned at Birth  

Although bleeding disorders can develop in both men and women, hemophilia is much more common in men. A woman’s risk of developing bleeding disorders, such as acquired hemophilia, is much higher during and after pregnancy than at other points in her life.

Treatment for Bleeding Disorders at RCCA

The hematologists of RCCA are experts in both in benign hematology (noncancerous blood disorders) and malignant hematology (cancers of the blood and blood-forming tissues). They make use of cutting-edge, evidence-based therapies and are adept at personalizing treatment for each patient.      

RCCA also offers patients access to clinical trials, studies of investigational therapies that can connect qualifying patients with an additional, potentially effective treatment option.

RCCA has 22 conveniently located, community-based locations throughout New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland, and the Washington, DC area. Contact us today to learn more about bleeding disorders or to make an appointment.