Bleeding Disorders Types
Bleeding disorders can be , or they can be acquired, meaning you develop them during your lifetime. Acquired bleeding disorders are more common than inherited bleeding disorders.
Acquired bleeding disorders
You may develop a bleeding disorder if something in your body, such as a disease or a medicine, causes your body to stop making blood clotting factors or causes the blood clotting factors to stop working correctly. In addition, problems with your blood vessels can lead to bleeding.
Acquired bleeding disorders include:
- Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC)
- Liver disease-associated bleeding
- Vitamin K deficiency bleeding
- Von Willebrand disease and hemophilia, which are most often inherited but may develop as a result of a medical condition
- Other, rarer types of acquired bleeding disorders, which include deficiencies of certain factors, such as factor I, II, and V, that are named for the clotting factor causing the problem
- Rarely, tangles of blood vessels, called arteriovenous malformations, which can form in the brain or elsewhere in the body and lead to bleeding before birth or later in life
Inherited bleeding disorders
Inherited bleeding disorders include:
- Combined deficiency of the vitamin K–dependent clotting factors (VKCFDs), which is caused by a problem with clotting factors II, VII, IX, and X
- Hemophilia A, the most common type of hemophilia, which is caused by a lack of clotting factor VIII or low levels of clotting factor VIII
- Hemophilia B, which occurs when you are missing clotting factor IX or have low levels of clotting factor IX
- Hemophilia C, a rare condition also known as factor XI deficiency
- Von Willebrand disease (VWD), the most common inherited bleeding disorder, which has different types that are numbered based on how common the condition is and how severe the symptoms are
- Other inherited bleeding disorders, which includes rare bleeding disorders, such as I, II, V, V + VIII, VII, X, XI, or XIII deficiencies, that are named by the clotting factor causing the problem other factor deficiencies
- Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia, a rare inherited condition caused by tangled blood vessels in different parts of the body, which can lead to bleeding
A diagnosis of your bleeding disorder will depend on your symptoms, risk factors, medical and family history, a physical exam, and blood tests. Once your doctor identifies the type of bleeding disorder, they will work to create a treatment plan that fits your medical needs.
Learn about the various types of von Willebrand Disease and their causes, symptoms, and treatments.