What Can Cause Individuals To Bruise Easily?

Vasculitis

Vasculitis is a medical condition that occurs when the blood vessels become inflamed. It is an autoimmune disease, which means it occurs because the immune system mistakenly attacks the body. This condition doesn't always have a known cause. In some cases, it can develop as a secondary disease after another disease ravages the body. It can also develop as a reaction to a medication or infection. Vasculitis can affect all areas of the blood vessels including capillaries, veins, and arteries. Inflamed blood vessels can become narrow, so it's difficult for blood to move through. Some vessels might become completely closed off or bulge until they burst. A burst blood vessel is called an aneurysm, and it can cause dangerous bleeding in different areas of the body. Burst blood vessels have the potential to cause easy bruising underneath the skin.

Leukemia

Leukemia, which affects blood cells, can cause individuals to be more susceptible to bleeding and bruising. Bruising and bleeding are so common in leukemia patients that one of the common symptoms of leukemia is a rash. Leukemia rashes don't tend to be linked to the cancer, and most cases will either resolve without needing treatment or can be treated through over-the-counter medicines. Some forms of leukemia cause white blood cells to stop functioning the way they should. With healthy white blood cells, the cells die when they become damaged, but in leukemia patients, the cancerous cells continue to grow and spread until they crowd out the healthy ones. This prevents white blood cells from doing their job, which is to fight infection and disease. There are several different symptoms of leukemia besides the bruising and rashes. Patients might develop a fever and flu-like symptoms, and because their immune system is compromised, they might also experience frequent infections. Anemia and bone pain are common symptoms due to the lack of functioning white blood cells.