Hypoprothrombinemia
Encyclopedia
Hypoprothrombinemia is a blood disorder in which a deficiency of prothrombin
(Factor II) results in impaired blood clotting
, leading to an increased physiological risk for bleeding, especially in the gastrointestinal system, cranial vault, and superficial integumentary system.
defect or it may be acquired as the result of another disease process, or an adverse effect
of medication
. For example, 5-10% of patients with Systemic lupus erythematosus
exhibit acquired hypoprothrombinemia due to the presence of autoantibodies
which bind to prothrombin and remove it from the bloodstream (lupus anticoagulant-hypoprothrombinaemia syndrome).
Thrombin
Thrombin is a "trypsin-like" serine protease protein that in humans is encoded by the F2 gene. Prothrombin is proteolytically cleaved to form thrombin in the first step of the coagulation cascade, which ultimately results in the stemming of blood loss...
(Factor II) results in impaired blood clotting
Coagulation
Coagulation is a complex process by which blood forms clots. It is an important part of hemostasis, the cessation of blood loss from a damaged vessel, wherein a damaged blood vessel wall is covered by a platelet and fibrin-containing clot to stop bleeding and begin repair of the damaged vessel...
, leading to an increased physiological risk for bleeding, especially in the gastrointestinal system, cranial vault, and superficial integumentary system.
Causes
Hypoprothrombinemia can be the result of a geneticGenetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
defect or it may be acquired as the result of another disease process, or an adverse effect
Adverse effect
In medicine, an adverse effect is a harmful and undesired effect resulting from a medication or other intervention such as surgery.An adverse effect may be termed a "side effect", when judged to be secondary to a main or therapeutic effect. If it results from an unsuitable or incorrect dosage or...
of medication
Medication
A pharmaceutical drug, also referred to as medicine, medication or medicament, can be loosely defined as any chemical substance intended for use in the medical diagnosis, cure, treatment, or prevention of disease.- Classification :...
. For example, 5-10% of patients with Systemic lupus erythematosus
Lupus erythematosus
Lupus erythematosus is a category for a collection of diseases with similar underlying problems with immunity . Symptoms of these diseases can affect many different body systems, including joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, heart, and lungs...
exhibit acquired hypoprothrombinemia due to the presence of autoantibodies
Autoantibody
An autoantibody is an antibody manufactured by the immune system that is directed against one or more of the individual's own proteins. It is derived from the Greek "auto" which means "self", "anti" which means "against" and "body"...
which bind to prothrombin and remove it from the bloodstream (lupus anticoagulant-hypoprothrombinaemia syndrome).