Coagulation Disorders Specialist

What are coagulation disorders?

Coagulation disorders affect your health because they make it difficult for your body to clot, or coagulate, properly to prevent excessive bleeding. In a healthy body, your blood changes from a liquid to a solid form after an injury to prevent massive blood loss.

When you have a coagulation disorder, clotting doesn’t occur, and you may be prone to excessive and/or prolonged bleeding. You can experience abnormal bleeding inside or outside of your body, including under the surface of your skin or in your vital organs like your liver and brain.

The most common types of coagulation disorders include hemophilia, a rare condition that occurs when your body doesn’t have enough clotting factors, which leads to abnormal bleeding in your joints.

Von Willebrand’s disease is also a common coagulation disorder that develops when your blood doesn’t have enough of the von Willebrand factor, an important clotting component.

What causes coagulation disorders?

To ensure blood clots properly, your body needs a sufficient amount of blood proteins and blood cells known as platelets. Platelets bind together, essentially plugging the wound to prevent blood loss.

With a coagulation disorder, your body either lacks the platelets needed to stop bleeding or the platelets you have don’t work as they should.

Many people have coagulation disorders because of their genetic history, while others develop a disorder due to other underlying health issues like liver disease.

You can also develop a coagulation disorder due to:

• Vitamin K deficiency
• Low red blood cell count
• Use of certain medications that interfere with clotting

Signs of a coagulation disorder include excessive internal or external bleeding after an injury, heavy menstrual bleeding, and frequent nosebleeds.

What treatments are available for coagulation disorders?

The hematology team at Wellness Oncology & Hematology are highly experienced in diagnosing and treating coagulation disorders. Your custom treatment plan could involve iron supplements or other medications to improve your clotting ability, which you can fill at the on-site pharmacy.

The Wellness Oncology & Hematology physicians stay up-to-date with the latest medications and treatments for coagulation disorders to prevent life-threatening health issues and the need for blood transfusions.

If you need treatment for a coagulation disorder, schedule an evaluation at Wellness Oncology & Hematology online or by calling the office nearest you today.