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Suggest Remedies For Excessive Bruising On Forearms
Question: My husband is 62 and has excessive bruising on his forearms; skin is thin and tears open easily. I have been feeding him multi-vitamins thinking a possible deficiency. Thoughts on other health problems?
Brief Answer:
easy bruising requires investigation
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
I can't examine his skin obviously, so I can't have an opinion about the thickness of his skin. The skin may become thin as we age but also with various hormonal influences. Corticosteroids for example cause it when a patient uses them for long.
Easy bruising is something that requires investigation to exclude (or confirm) various hematologic disorders. The first tests to do are a complete blood count (to assess the number of platelets and detect potential disorders of the rest of the blood cells) and the bleeding time to check whether his body has the ability to manage injuries by forming clots. A normal bleeding time requires intact platelet functionality.
Other useful tests include the INR (international normalization ratio) and activated partial prothrombin time (aPTT) which assess the coagulation mechanisms. Urea and creatinine may help to detect renal disease which is sometimes implicated in cases of bruising.
Some drugs may interfere with the aforementioned mechanisms and cause bruising. So if he's taking any drugs, I'd like to know about it.
Other important clinical details include his tendency to experience troubles with cuts (for example when shaving). Cuts that need too long to stop bleeding may mean that something is wrong in his coagulation mechanisms.
If you've done tests, please upload the reports.
I hope you find my comments helpful!
You can contact me again, if you'd like any clarification or further information.
Kind Regards!
easy bruising requires investigation
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
I can't examine his skin obviously, so I can't have an opinion about the thickness of his skin. The skin may become thin as we age but also with various hormonal influences. Corticosteroids for example cause it when a patient uses them for long.
Easy bruising is something that requires investigation to exclude (or confirm) various hematologic disorders. The first tests to do are a complete blood count (to assess the number of platelets and detect potential disorders of the rest of the blood cells) and the bleeding time to check whether his body has the ability to manage injuries by forming clots. A normal bleeding time requires intact platelet functionality.
Other useful tests include the INR (international normalization ratio) and activated partial prothrombin time (aPTT) which assess the coagulation mechanisms. Urea and creatinine may help to detect renal disease which is sometimes implicated in cases of bruising.
Some drugs may interfere with the aforementioned mechanisms and cause bruising. So if he's taking any drugs, I'd like to know about it.
Other important clinical details include his tendency to experience troubles with cuts (for example when shaving). Cuts that need too long to stop bleeding may mean that something is wrong in his coagulation mechanisms.
If you've done tests, please upload the reports.
I hope you find my comments helpful!
You can contact me again, if you'd like any clarification or further information.
Kind Regards!
Note: For more detailed guidance, please consult an Internal Medicine Specialist, with your latest reports. Click here..
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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