PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - A M B Minford
AU  - E M Richards
TI  - Excluding medical and haematological conditions as a cause of bruising in suspected non-accidental injury
AID  - 10.1136/adc.2009.159707
DP  - 2010 Feb 01
TA  - Archives of disease in childhood - Education & practice edition
PG  - 2--8
VI  - 95
IP  - 1
4099  - http://ep.bmj.com/content/95/1/2.short
4100  - http://ep.bmj.com/content/95/1/2.full
SO  - Arch Dis Child Educ Pract Ed2010 Feb 01; 95
AB  - A mistaken diagnosis of child abuse can occur in a number of medical conditions, many of which can be readily diagnosed by experienced paediatricians. Bleeding disorders offer a greater challenge, especially when court proceedings may demand their exclusion. Some of these disorders are rare but more prevalent in areas which have a high incidence of consanguinity. We advocate two stages of laboratory investigations but the limitations of some of these tests and their inability to exclude a bleeding disorder with absolute certainty should be recognised. However, if personal and family histories are absent and both first-stage and second-stage investigations are normal, it is highly unlikely that a bleeding disorder will be missed.