What are Bleeding Disorders?by Aimee Amodio | More from this Blogger 23 Sep 2009 06:08 PM Blood clotting (also known as coagulation) is how the body controls bleeding -- it changes blood from a liquid to a solid. Proteins in the blood work together to stop bleeding. But if a person is missing or lacking in certain proteins, they may have a bleeding disorder. The term "bleeding disorder" covers a wide range of problems that all have one result: poor clotting and prolonged bleeding. Your doctor may refer to a bleeding disorder as coagulopathy, abnormal bleeding, or clotting disorder. Other things can cause bleeding disorders besides clotting protein deficiency:
A person with a bleeding disorder will often bleed longer than a person with normal clotting factors. Bleeding disorders can range from mild to severe. One myth associated with bleeding disorders is that a person with a bleeding disorder can bleed to death from a minor injury. They can't. However, losing large amounts of blood CAN be a serious health threat. Symptoms of a bleeding disorder can include: excessive bleeding and bruising, frequent nose bleeds, abnormal menstrual bleeding. People with a bleeding disorder are at risk for anemia (low red blood cell count) thanks to chronic blood loss. Other health risks associated with bleeding disorders include:
At this time, there is no cure for bleeding disorders. Currently available treatments include replacing missing blood clotting factors. Safety is a huge concern, as diseases like HIV and hepatitis can be transmitted through blood transfusions. Researchers are looking at other treatments, including gene therapy and the use of completely artificial blood clotting factors. Learn more about Aimee Amodio  Aimee is a fiction writer... dog lover... music lover... Relevanthealth tags User Comments No comments on this article yet. Be the first to comment! Community Tags blood, bleeding, bleeding disorder, hemophilia Discuss this article
|
Health categories |
