What causes spontaneous bruising

Dear Ask The Doctor: My 25 yo daughter started bruiseing very easy.sometimes without not bumping into anything.its been going on for 3-4 months now.she has no med insurance so she hasent had check ups every year.

Dear Lindesy: Bruising and bleeding that is spontaneous may be a sign of an underlying clotting disorder. This could be as a result of decreased platelet number and function (immune thrombocytopaenia purpura ITP), dysfunctional or deficient clotting factors (Haemophilia, Factor VIII, IX, XI deficiency, von Willebrand disease), liver disease (liver produces vitamin K responsible for clotting factors II, VII, IX, X), medications (steroids), other serious malignant disease (leukaemia). I would advise your daughter attending her family doctor for a detailed history and clinical examination. He can perform routine blood tests including full blood count, kidney function and coagulation profile to exclude many of the above conditions.