Disordered Bleeding in Ehlers Danlos Syndromes

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) is a disease that weakens the connective tissues (i.e. tendons and ligaments) in the human body. EDS can make the joints loose and alter skin and wound healing. It can also weaken blood vessels and organs. Many EDS patients are referred for investigation of bleeding symptoms. Although most patients will have mild symptoms such as bruising, many will experience significant bleeding that can be life-threatening. The physiological reason behind this has not been identified and therefore, treating this is challenging. In addition, patients with EDS frequently require major surgery due to complications from their connective tissue disease. These surgery carries a significant risk of catastrophic bleeding which is further magnified in this group of patients. The specific reason of clinical bleeding in patients with EDS is likely multifactorial, including skin and blood vessel fragility leading to increased bruising and poor wound healing, coagulopathies related to factor deficiency, acquired vonWillebrand disease (VWD), and notable platelet dysfunction.

Despite compelling preliminary evidence, there is limited data on the diagnosis and management of platelet dysfunction in EDS patients. Therefore, in this study we will characterize hemostasis, the medical term which refers to the process of stopping blood flow, across the three most common subtypes of EDS.we will also determine the burden of illness of pathologic bleeding in patients with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) using validated patient reported tools.