Overview of Vascular Bleeding Disorders

By David J. Kuter, MD, DPhil, Professor of Medicine;Director, Clinical Hematology, Harvard Medical School;Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center

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Bleeding Due to Abnormal Blood Vessels
Overview of Vascular Bleeding Disorders
Autoerythrocyte Sensitization
Dysproteinemias Causing Vascular Purpura
Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia
Purpura Simplex
Senile Purpura

Bleeding may result from abnormalities in

Vascular bleeding disorders result from defects in blood vessels, typically causing petechiae, purpura, and bruising but, except for hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia, seldom leading to serious blood loss. Bleeding may result from deficiencies of vascular and perivascular collagen in Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and in other rare hereditary connective tissue disorders (eg, pseudoxanthoma elasticum, osteogenesis imperfecta, Marfan syndrome). Hemorrhage may be a prominent feature of scurvy, or immunoglobulin A–associated vasculitis, a hypersensitivity vasculitis common during childhood.

In vascular bleeding disorders, tests of hemostasis are usually normal. For most disorders, diagnosis is clinical; specific tests are available for some.

Last full review/revision January 2017 by David J. Kuter, MD, DPhil