Intracranial hemorrhage in congenital bleeding disorders.

Abstract

: Intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), as a life-threatening bleeding among all kinds of congenital bleeding disorders (CBDs), is a rare manifestation except in factor XIII (FXIII) deficiency, which is accompanied by ICH, early in life, in about one-third of patients. Most inherited platelet function disorders (IPFDs) are mild to moderate bleeding disorders that can never experience a severe bleeding as in ICH; however, Glanzmann's thrombasthenia, a common and severe inherited platelet function disorder, can lead to ICH and occasional death. This bleeding feature can also be observed in grey platelet syndrome, though less frequently than in Glanzmann's thrombasthenia. In hemophilia, intracerebral hemorrhage is affected by various risk factors one of which is the severity of the disease. The precise prevalence of ICH in these patients is not clear but an estimated incidence of 3.5-4% among newborns with hemophilia is largely ascertained. Although ICH is a rare phenomenon in CBDs, it can be experienced by every patient with severe hemophilia A and B, FXIII deficiency (FXIIID), FVIID, FXD, FVD, FIID, and afibrinogenemia. Upon observing the general signs and symptoms of ICH such as vomiting, seizure, unconsciousness, and headache, appropriate replacement therapies and cranial ultrasound scans must be done to decrease ICH-related morbidity and mortality.