In
medicine (
hematology),
bleeding diathesis (or
bleeding tendency or
predisposition or
h(a)emorrhagic diathesis) is an unusual susceptibility to bleed (
hemorrhage) mostly due to
hypocoagulability, in turn caused by a
coagulopathy (a defect in the system of
coagulation). Several types are distinguished, ranging from mild to lethal. Also, bleeding diathesis can be caused by thinning of the skin or impaired
wound healing.