Bruises In Old Age

A bruise is a condition in which small blood vessels under the skin rupture, causing blood to leak into the underlying skin tissue. There are three common types of bruises that can occur based on the severity of an injury: contusions, hematomas and purpura.

This is because they are the color of the blood that has pooled underneath the skin . As a bruise heals, the body breaks down blood and fluids that have accumulated under the skin. As this happens the bruise turns different colors. Within the first few days after getting a bruise, the area may become a black mark, blue mark, or purple mark.

Bruises without injuries can be caused by thinning of the skin which could be caused by a number of factors. Some medication when taken for too long could lead to bruising without injuries. Aspirin is one such drug. It leads to coagulation changes which then lead to spontaneous hematoma.

Bruising can be a sign of an underlying medical problem that needs attention, and the sooner it is addressed, the better the possible outcome usually is. People should also be aware that sometimes bruising is a sign of internal hemorrhage.

A person should seek medical attention any time they have the following symptoms or issues associated with bruising: a suspected broken bone. loss of function of a joint, limb or muscle. increasing pain. an area is affected by a bruise that returns. there is no identifiable cause of the bruising.

During the healing process, which normally lasts from two to four weeks, bruises go through a sequence of color changes. The changing colors happen while white blood cells remove the decayed blood products bit by bit. For the first two days, bruises appear red because of the iron in the leaked blood.

A bone contusion or bruise can hurt for several weeks to several months based on the severity of the injury. Fortunately, these do get better so would generally treat with rest, ice and antiinflammatories and activity modification.

A bruise is caused by the leakage of blood out of the blood vessels and is trapped under the skin. The different colors of bruises have to do with the change in the blood as it’s broken down and re-absorbed by the body. Intially, bruises appear as reddish. It will then turn blue or dark purple within a few hours, then yellow or green as it heals.

This color change of the bruise is due to low supply of oxygen to the affected area. This causes the hemoglobin, which is usually red in color to change to blue. It may take around three to four days for the color of the bruise to change from red to completely blue.

Most bruises are caused by some form of blunt force trauma to blood vessels under the skin. When these blood vessels break open, blood begins to pour into the surrounding tissue. This blood pools under the skin and initially looks dark purple or deep red.

Bruising without an injury can be a sign of diseases of the kidney, liver and blood such as hemophilia, leukemia, Hodgkin’s disease, multiple myeloma, scurvy and thrombocytopenia. Women who experience heavy periods while bruising should consult a gynecologist to rule out conditions affecting the reproductive organs.

If you have petechiae or bruising on the legs or calves that won’t heal, it could be due to a shortage of platelets . Some conditions that can cause this are: Certain medications can also affect platelet counts, such as:

Excessive bruising can be a sign of a clotting disorder called thrombocytopenia , which causes a low blood platelet count. Platelets are responsible for clumping up and forming a plug when blood vessels are injured, and a lack of them will make you bruise very often.

Bruises are usually caused by skin injury that damages the blood vessels or causes your blood vessels to break. Clinically called contusion, bruising is the body’s way to respond to any injury and the reasons may range from age to nutrition to diseases.

ANSWER. Someimes bruises are a sign of a cancer like leukemia. If you also feel tired, achy, and weak all the time, or lose weight without trying to, call the doctor.

Sometimes, however, bruises appear for no apparent reason. This can be puzzling and sometimes worrisome. The reality is that there is always a reason for a bruise, even if the reason is not known at the time. Some of the causes of bruising for no reason include age, medication, or serious disease.