Abnormalities in clotting are closely related to the issues of venous and arterial thrombosis, but are covered by additional tests and animal models.
Background
Clotting disorders fall into two basic groups. If the clotting system cannot adequately form clots (thrombi), then the result is a bleeding disorder (hemophilia); if the clotting system forms clots too easily, then the result is formation of excess clots (thrombophilia). In addition, there are two primary mechanisms involved in the clotting process; platelets and the coagulation cascade.
Platelet Disorders:
Having too few platelets (as a consequence of cancer chemotherapy for example) or platelets that do not function well (for example, aspirin use) can result in excessive bleeding (hemophilia). In contrast, having too many platelets (a side-effect of some cancers and some genetic conditions) can lead to excessive clotting (thrombophilia). Many medications to treat diseases such as strokes and heart attacks specifically alter the ability of platelets to form clots.
Coagulation Cascade Disorders:
Decreased levels of the clotting factors results in hemophilia, of which there are two primary disorders, hemophilia A and hemophilia B. Hemophilia A results from low levels of factor VIII and hemophilia B results from low levels of factor IX. Changes in coagulation cascade proteins that increase clotting include the Factor V Leiden disorder, a genetic variant of the Factor V gene, as well as variations in the prothrombin gene (prothrombin G20210A), and anti-clotting deficiencies (anti-thrombin, Protein C, Protein S).
Secondary Disease States Affecting Clotting Processes:
Many types of cancer, autoimmune diseases (for example lupus), post-operative states (especially following knee and hip surgery) and any condition which results in prolonged immobilization can increase the probability of a clotting disorder, particularly the likelihood of forming a clot.
Animal Models of Clotting Activity.
In addition to the models of venous and arterial thrombosis, Biomodels can also perform direct measurements of clotting time or instrument based measurements of clotting activity.
