*Easy Bruising and Bleeding

0010231 COMP METAB PNL
0006399 CBC (DIFF/PLT)
0000593 LDH, TOTAL
0004919 VW AG
0005168 VW  AG, MULTI ANALYSIS
0000763 PTT, ACTIVATED
0008847 PT W/ INR
0000347 FACTOR VIII ACTIVITY
0090879 FACTOR VIII AG
0004459 RISTOCETIN COFACTOR
0000352 COAG FACTOR IX ACT
0000359 COAG FACTOR X ACT

As you get older, it is expected that you will experience some bruising after a minor injury more readily than you would have when you were younger. Your capillary walls become thinner and you loose more fat to cushion the tiny vessles.  Therefore, they are more susceptible to rupture with minor trauma and sometimes even spontaneously.  Some medications can make bruising and even bleeding much more dramatic, such as daily aspirin, warfarin (Coumadin) and Plavix.
Some lesions like colon polyps or cancer, uterine fibroids or inflammed tissue like in gum disease may bleed, but the bleeding is usually local. There are some disease states, however,  which can cause easy bruising and bleeding systemically by interfering with the body’s clotting ability. The most common of these are hemophilia A and B (or Factor VIII deficiency and factor IX deficiency) and von Willabrand’s Disease.  Chronic liver disease can also cause bleedng in this way by affecting some proteins which are needed for clotting.  These can be checked by the panel below.