| Coagulation Disorders - Inherited Inherited disorders are those which are considered to be inborn, and have some familial linkage. Hemophilia A is a deficiency of coagulation factor VIII. It is the most commonly encountered hereditary based coagulation disorder. Found almost exclusively in males, its pattern of inheritance is sex-linked recessive. This disorder presents clinically with hemorrhagic events ranging in severity from mild to severe. Patients often present with spontaneous bleeding into their joints, a classic symptom of this affliction. The treatment of Hemophilia A often involves the administration of commercial factor VIII products. | View Page |
| Coagulation Disorders - Acquired Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC) is best described as a disorder of consumption, because clotting factors are depleted from the blood. Basically, clotting occurs randomly throughout the body, as opposed to just in the localized areas where vascular damage has occurred, consuming clotting factors and other components such as platelets in the process. Symptoms may range from a mild bleed, to severe, profuse bleeding, primarily dependant upon the availability of clotting factors. As more and more coagulation factors and components are consumed, the disorder progresses and symptoms worsen. Most heavily impacted are the levels of factors I, V, and VIII as well as the number of available platelets. Clinically, DIC is detected via an elevated (positive) FDP, positive D-dimer test, a prolonged PT and APTT, plus the manifestation of hemorrhagic episodes. DIC is diagnosed as two primary types, acute and chronic. Acute DIC manifests in a few hours or a few days, has a high mortality rate, and is seen in infections, obstetric complications, liver disease, and tissue injury. Chronic DIC is a secondary condition to some other disease state. Once you treat the primary disease, this type of DIC will go away. Treatment is often factor replacement therapy through the use of fresh frozen plasma and/or cryoprecipitate. | View Page |