EVALUATION OF MILD BLEEDING DISORDERS AND EASY BRUISING

The diagnostic approach to easy bruising or a suspected mild bleeding disorder includes a careful history and physical examination as well a s laboratory investigations, The history should determine whether or n ot a bleeding disorder exists and help elucidate possible causes. The physical examination should evaluate evidence of bleeding and identify systemic illness. The laboratory investigation should include both sc reening and more specific diagnostic tests depending on the results of the screening tests and clinical findings. The review will provide a framework for generating a differential diagnosis in patients with sus pected bleeding disorders and will categorize them into abnormalities of coagulation factors, platelets and those related to blood vessels a nd supporting tissues.