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Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) is a serious disorder in which the proteins that control blood clotting are abnormally active.
Normally, when you are injured, certain proteins are turned on and travel to the injury site to help stop bleeding. However, in persons with DIC, these proteins are abnormally active. Small blood clots form throughout the body. Overtime, the clotting proteins become "used up" and are unavailable during times of real injury.
This disorder can result in clots or, more often, bleeding. Bleeding can be severe.
Risk factors for DIC include:
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Gando S. A multicenter, prospective validation of disseminated intravascular coagulation diagnostic criteria for critically ill patients: comparing current criteria. Crit Care Med . Mar 2006; 34(3): 625-31.
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