A bleeding disorder is a condition that affects the way your blood normally clots. When you get injured, your blood normally begins to clot to prevent a massive loss of blood. Sometimes the mechanism that causes the blood to clot fails, resulting in rapid or prolonged bleeding.
Bleeding disorders don’t always affect blood leaving the body. There are many conditions that cause bleeding to occur under the skin or in the brain.
Types of Bleeding Disorders
There are several bleeding disorders that can be inherited (passed down
through genetics) or acquired. Some cause bleeding spontaneously,
whereas others cause bleeding following an accident.
The most common inherited bleeding disorders are:
Hemophilia A and B: caused by a deficiency or lack of certain blood clotting proteins, called factors. This disorder causes heavy or unusual bleeding factor.
II, V, VII, X, XII deficiency: relate to blood clotting problems or abnormal bleeding problems von Willebrand’s disease: the most common inherited bleeding disorder; caused by a deficiency of von Willebrand factor, which helps blood platelets clump together and stick to a blood vessel wall Certain diseases or medical conditions can also cause a deficiency of one or more blood clotting factors. The most common causes of acquired bleeding disorders are end-stage liver disease or vitamin K deficiency.
