title: Bleeding/bruising symptomatology in children with and without bleeding disorders.
abstract: A questionnaire, designed to assess bleeding/bruising tendencies, was administered to 251 otherwise healthy children undergoing a tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy. 23 children with excessive bleeding during or after the operation, with a long bleeding time or who reported taking aspirin recently were excluded, to give a population of 228 non-bleeders. For comparative purposes, 31 patients with bleeding disorders (von Willebrand's disease and/or platelet function defects) were studied. A considerable proportion of "non-bleeding" children reported easy bruising (24%), had bruises at least once a week (36%) and suffered from nosebleeds (39%). The respective frequencies (67%, 68% and 69%) for children with bleeding disorders were significantly higher. Occurrence of bruises usually on more than one part of the body, frequent large bruises or hematomas were rare in "non-bleeders" (4.9%, 3.5% and 2.7% respectively), but more common in "bleeders" (38.5%, 29.6% and 21.7% respectively).
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Nosek-Cenkowska
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Cheang
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Pizzi
authors.forename: E D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Israels
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Gerrard
mesh_terms: D000233:Adenoidectomy / Q000009:adverse effects; D000293:Adolescent; D001778:Blood Coagulation Disorders / Q000150:complications; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014068:Tonsillectomy / Q000009:adverse effects