What Are Bleeding Disorders?
A bleeding disorder can be caused by defects in the blood vessels or abnormalities in the blood itself. These abnormalities might be found in blood clotting factors or platelets. Either way, people with bleeding disorders tend to bleed longer than those without a disorder. The danger with bleeding disorders usually lies in internal bleeding more than paper cuts.
Bleeding Disorders is a general term for a wide range of medical problems that lead to poor blood clotting and continuous bleeding. You may hear them referred to as: coagulopathy, abnormal bleeding, and clotting disorders.
Blood clotting, or coagulation, is the process that controls bleeding. It changes blood from a liquid into a solid. Coagulation is how your body forms a scab when you scrape your knee on the sidewalk. It’s a complex process that involves as many as 20 different plasma proteins, or blood clotting factors. Normally, these clotting factors form a substance called fibrin that stops bleeding. When certain coagulation factors are deficient or missing, the process doesn’t occur normally.
We also mentioned platelets. They too are involved in coagulation. If they are defective or absent, your body cannot form a clot (or scab) and stop bleeding.
Common Types of Bleeding Disorders
Hemophilia A
When someone is missing or has defective factor VIII, they have Hemophilia A. Factor VIII is a clotting protein, essential in the body’s coagulation process. This is a genetic disorder associated with the X chromosome, making it most common in males. It is also known as “Factor VIII Deficiency” or “Classic Hemophilia.”
Hemophilia B
Hemophilia B is caused by missing or defective factor IX, a clotting protein. This is a genetic disorder associated with the X chromosome, making it more common in males than females. It is also known as “Factor IX Deficiency” or “Christmas Disease.”
von Willebrand Disease
von Willebrand Disease is caused by missing or defective von Willebrand Factor. It may also be caused by low levels of von Willebrand Factor. This is the most common bleeding disorder. 1 in 100 Americans have von Willebrand Disease.
Glanzmann’s Thrombasthenia
Glanzmann’s Thrombasthenia (GT) is a type of platelet disorder. Those with GT lack a specific glycoprotein which tells the platelets to stick together. Without the glycoprotein, they are unable to form clots to stop bleeding.