Tag: Bleeding time

According to a retrospective review in Kingston, Ontario, vitamin C deficiency contributed to various bleeding diatheses, emphasizing its modern relevance beyond historical context. This crucial micronutrient deficiency, also known as scurvy, is notorious for causing bleeding, raising the question: **Does vitamin C deficiency increase bleeding time** as measured by a clinical lab test?

While vitamin K is famously known for its role in promoting blood clotting, a 2023 case report highlighted that excessive supplementation of vitamin E led to a young man's hospitalization with a bleeding disorder. This demonstrates that certain vitamins and supplements, particularly at high doses, can significantly increase bleeding time and pose a serious health risk, especially when combined with anticoagulant medications.

Research consistently shows that patients on oral anticoagulants, often called 'blood thinners', exhibit a prolonged bleeding time compared to un-anticoagulated individuals. This effect is a direct consequence of how these medications interfere with the body's natural hemostasis to prevent dangerous blood clots.

Administration of unfractionated heparin in clinical trials has been shown to increase the risk of major bleeding and can also prolong bleeding time. While it's established that heparin is a potent anticoagulant, its impact on the body's entire hemostatic process, and specifically whether heparin also affects the bleeding time, involves more than just its primary mechanism.

Research has shown that while aspirin permanently inhibits platelet function by acetylating the COX enzyme, other non-aspirin salicylates cause only a temporary, reversible effect. This critical distinction helps explain how do salicylates affect platelets and the varying impact on bleeding risk.