Evexia Basic Abnormal Bleeding Profile

Overview:

Often, the key to identifying the cause of abnormal bleeding is knowledge of the patient's clinical history in conjunction with laboratory findings.  A bleeding disorder is a tendency to bruise easily or bleed excessively for prolonged periods.  It may be the result of an inherited genetic factor or can be acquired.  Bleeding disorders may cause a wide range of signs and symptoms, depending on the cause, and present with varying degrees of severity that changes over time.  Bleeding may be severe, with episodes beginning in early childhood, or relatively mild, involving prolonged bleeding following surgery, dental procedures, or trauma. When bleeding events start early in life or when a close relative has an inherited factor deficiency, an inherited bleeding disorder should be suspected.

Some of the signs and symptom of a bleeding disorder include: unexplained or easy bruising, frequent nosebleeds, bleeding gums, prolonged bleeding from small cuts or after dental procedures, heavy menstrual periods that last longer than average, joint or muscle pain, swelling after a minor accident or injury, small red spots on the skin (petechiae) that may sometimes look like a rash, small purplish spots on the skin (purpura), or large purplish lesions (ecchymosis) caused by bleeding under the skin, blood in the stool; bleeding from the digestive tract, arthritic-type symptoms from damage by bleeding into joints, loss of vision with bleeding in the eyes, and chronic anemia.

The tests included in the Evexia Diagnostics Basic Abnormal Bleeding Profile are commonly ordered as part of the diagnostic work-up of a patient with a history of bleeding such as partial thromboplastin time (PTT/aPTT), platelet count, and thrombin clotting time (TCT).

The aPTT is sensitive to the deficiency or inhibition of factors in the intrinsic pathway. The platelet count is used to evaluate, diagnose, or follow up on bleeding disorders, drug-induced thrombocytopenia, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (acute or chronic), disseminated intravascular coagulation, leukemia states, chemotherapeutic management of malignant disease states; investigate purpura, petechiae; evaluate the response to platelet transfusions, steroids, or other therapy. The TCT is used to diagnose fibrinogen deficiency, both congenital and acquired.