Evaluation of adolescents with heavy menstrual bleeding using the International Society of Thrombosis Haemostasis-Bleeding Assessment Tool and The Pediatric Bleeding Questionnaire scores

Background. Heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) is a common condition in adolescents. However, bleeding disorders are known to be one of the causes of HMB in adolescent girls, so they should be considered. Simple methods that can be used in primary health care are needed to determine whether patients have bleeding disorders. The aim of this study was to evaluate the bleeding score of patients admitted with HMB and to determine the diagnostic value of patients who were symptomatic but whose initial hemostatic tests were normal. Methods. A total of 113 adolescents with HMB and 20 healthy adolescent girls were included in the study. The Pediatric Bleeding Questionnaire (PBQ) and the International Society of Thrombosis Haemostasis-Bleeding Assessment Tool (ISTH-BAT) were used for evaluation. Results. Overall, approximately 18% (n= 20) of the adolescents in the study were diagnosed with a bleeding disorder. The cut off value for the 'clinically significant bleeding score' was found to be 3.5. Conclusions. The PBQ and ISTH-BAT can help distinguish a significant bleeding history from an otherwise trivial bleeding and can be included in the algorithm for the primary care of adolescents with HMB with suspected bleeding disorders.