Hematoma is an injury where blood pools outside blood vessels and forms a localized swelling or mass. This can occur due to trauma, such as a blunt force or a surgical procedure, or it can be caused by a medical condition that affects the body’s ability to clot blood properly.
Many people experience the symptoms of hematoma for a variety of reasons. Hematomas may look like a bruise mark but has different causes and complications. While the health condition isn’t harmful, it may turn into a serious medical issue if not diagnosed and treated.
The most common cause of a hematoma is trauma to the body, such as a blow to the head or body, a fall, or an injury from a car accident. This trauma can damage your blood vessels and cause bleeding into the surrounding tissues, which forms a hematoma.
Hematomas can also occur as a result of medical procedures, such as surgeries or biopsies, particularly if the procedure involves a needle insertion or other medical tools into the body.
In some cases, medical conditions that affect the body’s blood clotting ability can also contribute to hematoma formation. For instance, if your platelets are repressed, the bleeding doesn’t stop and causes a hematoma.
Certain medications, such as blood thinners and alcohol abuse, can also reduce your body’s ability to clot blood properly. Other factors that may increase your risk of developing a hematoma include:
This is a genetic disorder that affects the body’s blood clotting ability. Haemophilia A is the common clotting factor deficiency in South Africa, as more than 2000 individuals are diagnosed with it annually. People with haemophilia have low levels or a complete absence of certain clotting factors, which can result in prolonged bleeding after an injury or surgery.
The condition is inherited; if it runs in your family, your risk of getting haemophilia and hematoma is higher. It is caused by a mutation in one of the genes that provide instructions for making clotting factors. The severity of haemophilia depends on the amount of clotting factor that is missing or reduced.
This condition has a lower-than-normal level of platelets in the blood, which can lead to easy bruising and bleeding, including the formation of hematomas. You can develop Thrombocytopenia due to decreased platelet production in the bone marrow, increased platelet destruction, and your body’s spleen holds on to too many platelets.
This is a liver disease that can cause a decrease in the production of clotting factors, leading to an increased risk of bleeding and hematomas. Muscle hematoma in Cirrhosis patients is very common as it is related to alcohol and drug abuse.
The mortality rate of cirrhosis is also high; therefore, it is crucial to recognize muscle hematoma as a potential risk or complication of liver disease.
This type of blood cancer can affect the body’s ability to produce platelets and clotting factors. A decrease in the number of platelets leads to a higher risk of bleeding, including easy bruising, prolonged bleeding from cuts, nosebleeds, or gastrointestinal bleeding.
In addition, leukaemia can lead to the infiltration of leukaemia cells into the walls of blood vessels, which can cause them to become weak and rupture, resulting in hematoma formation.
This is a genetic disorder that prevents the body from producing a protein that helps with clotting. It is a mild type of haemophilia. Doctors suspect it when a person sustains a sports injury, and excessive bleeding happens.
Plus, you are prone to Von Willebrand’s disease if you have plasma disorders, lymphocytic leukaemia, or bone marrow disorders. It is essential to take precautions to prevent injuries and seek prompt medical attention if you have von Willebrand’s disease and experience any signs of bleeding or bruising.
The genetic disorder impacts your body’s connective tissues. In people with EDS, the blood vessels may be more fragile and prone to rupture, leading to hematoma formation. EDS can also affect blood clotting, making it more difficult for the body to stop bleeding after an injury.
Avoid or minimize activities that increase the risk of injury or trauma, such as contact sports, heavy lifting, or falls, if you have a blood clotting disorder that leaves you prone to hematoma formation.