title: Coagulation abnormalities in patients who have liver disease.
abstract: The liver plays a central role in the maintenance of normal hemostatic function. Because liver disease alters pathways of coagulation and anticoagulation, patients who have advanced disease can experience severe bleeding or thrombotic complications. Complications of advanced liver disease may also contribute to bleeding or thrombosis. This article reviews and discusses the management of the most common coagulation problems encountered in patients who have end-stage liver disease, which are thrombocytopenia and impaired humoral coagulation as measured by prolongation of the prothrombin time and international normalized ratio.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology/Hepatology, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, 4200 East 9th Avenue, B-154 Denver, CO 80262, USA. james.trotter@uchsc.edu
authors.forename: James F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Trotter
mesh_terms: D001778:Blood Coagulation Disorders / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy; D001779:Blood Coagulation Factors / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy; D011517:Prothrombin Time; D013921:Thrombocytopenia / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy
chemical_list: D001779:Blood Coagulation Factors