Abstract:
Background: Coagulopathy is the major cause of mortality and morbidity throughout the world. Globally, about
26–45% of healthy people have a history of bleeding symptoms, which may be a result of thrombocytopenia,
factor deficiency, or pathological inhibitory.
Objective: To assess coagulopathy and its associated factors among patients with bleeding diathesis at the
University of Gondar Specialized Referral Hospital from January to May 2020.
Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 384 study participants with bleeding diathesis recruited by using a
convenient sampling technique. Socio-demographic and clinical characteristics were collected by using questioners. Then
6 ml venous blood was collected with a needle and syringe method. About 3 ml blood was transferred to EDTA test tube
for platelet count and 2.7 ml blood was transferred to a test tube containing 0.3 ml of 3.2% sodium citrated anticoagulant
for coagulation test. For those study participants with prolonged coagulation tests, a mixing test was done. Blood film
and stool examination were also done for malaria and intestinal parasite identification, respectively. The data were
entered into EPI-Info version 3.5.3 and then transferred to SPSS version-20 for analysis. Descriptive statistics were
summarized as percentages, means, and standard deviations. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression was used to
identify the associated factors, and a P-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: In this study, the prevalence of coagulopathy was 253/384 (65.9%; 95% CI: 61.16, 70.64). From them, 21.3% (54/
253), 51.4% (130/253), and 27.3% (69/253) had only thrombocytopenia, only prolonged coagulation test, and mixed
abnormality, respectively. Among participants with prolonged coagulation time, the prevalence of factor deficiency was
21.1% (42/199). Cardiac disease (AOR = 4.80; 95% CI: 2.65, 23.1), and other chronic diseases (AOR = 8.1; 95% CI: 1.84, 35.58)
were significantly associated with coagulopathy.
Conclusion: In this study, coagulopathy due to inhibitory was a public health problem. The participants with cardiac and
other chronic diseases were at high risk for coagulopathy. Therefore, mixing tests could be done for all prolonged
coagulation tests and it could be considered as a routine laboratory test.
Keywords: Bleeding diathesis, Coagulopathy, Gondar, Ethiopia, Mixing test
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* Correspondence: melak.aynalem1234@gmail