factor VII deficiency

Factor VII deficiency is a bleeding disorder characterized by a lack in the production of Factor VII (FVII) (proconvertin), a protein that causes blood to clot in the coagulation cascade. After a trauma factor VII initiates the process of coagulation in conjunction with tissue factor (TF/factor III) in the extrinsic pathway. The condition may be inherited or acquired. It is the most common of the rare congenital coagulation disorders. Signs and symptoms Symptoms may differ greatly, as apparently modifiers control to some degree the amount of FVII that is produced. Some affected individuals have few or no symptoms while others may experience life-threatening bleeding. Typically this bleeding disorder manifests itself as a tendency to easy bruising, nose bleeding, heavy and prolonged menstruation, and excessive bleeding after dental or surgical interventions. Newborns may bleed in the head, from the umbilicus, or excessively after circumcision. Other bleeding can be encountered in the gut, in muscles or joints, or the brain. Hematuria may occur. While in congenital disease symptoms may be present at birth or show up later, in patients with acquired FVII deficiency symptoms typically show up in later life.