Vascular causes of bleeding disorders
Vascular defects causing abnormal bleeding are rare. In cases of vitamin C deficiency (scurvy), capillary integrity is lost, and blood seeps into the tissues. In the inherited condition hemorrhagic telangiectasia, groups of enormously dilated capillaries can be seen in the skin and mucous membranes of the mouth, nose, and gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts. The lesions appear in adult life and tend to bleed on the least provocation. Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is a disorder of collagen synthesis in which the increased fragility of vessels causes them to be easily ruptured. The use of cortisone, prednisolone, and other glucocorticoid drugs are associated with increased capillary fragility and purpura (pinpoint hemorrhages in the skin and mucous membranes).
Coagulation disorders
Coagulation disorders include a number of disorders that are related to defects in the clotting of blood. Deficiencies in any of the protein factors involved in coagulation can result in hemorrhages following minor injuries. In some of these disorders, a specific deficiency is due to an inherited defect (e.g., hemophilia). In others, an acquired pathological condition may be responsible for the deficiency (e.g., conditions interfering with absorption of vitamin K and severe infection). For common clotting disorders, see the table.
| Common hereditary and acquired coagulation disorders |
|---|
| Hereditary |
| hemophilia A (factor VIII deficiency) |
| hemophilia B (factor IX deficiency) |
| hemophilia C (factor XI deficiency) |
| von Willebrand disease (von Willebrand factor deficiency) |
| Acquired |
| vitamin K deficiency |
| circulating anticoagulants |
| disseminated intravascular coagulation |
| liver disease |
| medications |
The clotting deficiencies are treated with plasma or plasma proteins containing the missing factor. These agents can restore hemostatic function to normal for hours or days and, with continued treatment, allow injuries to heal or complicated surgery to be performed.
Hemophilia
The best-known coagulation disorder is hemophilia, which is due to an inherited defect transmitted by the female but manifested almost exclusively in the male. The most common form of hemophilia, hemophilia A, is caused by the absence of the coagulation protein factor VIII (antihemophilic globulin). Of persons with hemophilia, approximately 85 percent have factor VIII deficiency. The next most common form of hemophilia, hemophilia B, is due to deficiency of factor IX (plasma thromboplastin component, or PTC). Both factor VIII deficiency and factor IX deficiency have signs and symptoms that are indistinguishable. Spontaneous bleeding into joints, giving rise to severe chronic arthritis, is a common problem among persons with severe hemophilia; in addition, there is bleeding into the brain and the abdominal cavity, as well as marked bruising. In general, the greater the deficiency in either factor VIII or factor IX, the more severe the manifestations of disease.
Treatment of bleeding episodes emphasizes the replacement of the missing plasma protein. In a patient with hemophilia A, factor VIII can be replaced by the infusion into a vein of plasma derived from a normal donor, the cryoprecipitate fraction of normal plasma, or a partially purified preparation of factor VIII derived from normal plasma. The peptide desmopressin (DDAVP) is useful in treating milder forms of hemophilia A. Similarly, in a patient with hemophilia B, factor IX can be replaced by the infusion into the vein of plasma derived from a normal donor or a partially purified preparation of factor IX derived from normal plasma. New methods of preparing factor VIII and factor IX, using genetic engineering techniques, have led to the introduction of safer factor VIII and factor IX generated by recombinant DNA methods. With the current methods of medical care, persons with hemophilia can live nearly normal, productive lives. Major surgery, if needed, can be accomplished by the administration of the missing protein.