Bleeding disorders

What is it?
Structural defects
Factor defects
Laboratory tests
Treatments

Structural problems with blood vessels

Inherited
Haemorrhagic Telangiectasia -- blood vessels are more fragile than usual leading to recurrent bleeding episodes

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome-- collagen that supports blood vessels is unusually weak and elastic, making blood vessels less protected and more prone to injury

Acquired
Allergic purpura -- small blood vessels are inflamed and prone to leakage, a condition thought to be an autoimmune response and that may be acute or chronic

Platelet deficiency (thrombocytopenia) or dysfunction

Inherited
A variety of other rare inherited conditions may cause platelet disorders

Acquired

Bone marrow not making enough - bone marrow disorder
Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), decreased platelets, cause unknown, thought to have autoimmune component. May go away on its own.
Drugs such as heparin, quinine, sulfa antibiotics, and gold salts may decrease number of platelets
Drugs such as aspirin and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may cause dysfunctional platelets
Disease related: HIV, liver disease, kidney failure, leukaemia, multiple myeloma, cirrhosis of the liver, and systemic lupus erythematosus may all cause decreased platelet counts
Massive blood replacement (platelets don’t last in stored blood)
Cardiopulmonary bypass surgery (platelets are activated and become deficient and dysfunctional)