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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Spontaneous bruises send red flags

Peter Gott United Media

Dear Dr. Gott: I’m 75 and question the large purple blotches that appear on my forearms. They look like bruises, yet I haven’t bumped myself. My medications are Maxzide and Persantine.

Dear Reader: Spontaneous bruising (without antecedent injury) is always a red flag for doctors, because it may reflect a serious affliction such as a bleeding disorder, a vitamin deficiency or leukemia. You should be examined by your family doctor.

I am further concerned that you may have developed early signs of an allergy to your medications, especially Maxzide, a diuretic used to treat hypertension and heart conditions. Moreover, you may be taking too much Persantine, a drug that is supposed to aid circulation by interfering with coagulation.

Check with your physician, who should be able, by using blood tests, to diagnose the reasons for your bruising.

To give you related information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report “Blood: Donations and Disorders.” Other readers who would like a copy should send a long, self-addressed, stamped envelope and $2 to Newsletter, P.O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title.

Dear Dr. Gott: My husband thinks he had yellow jaundice when he was 6 years old. Will this keep him from donating blood now? Is there a way to determine if it is safe to donate blood after having had jaundice?

Dear Reader: Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes because of a buildup of bile in the tissues) has many causes. Hepatitis is one.

If your husband had such a liver inflammation, he will probably be prevented from donating blood, because the hepatitis virus can remain dormant in the system, yet cause infection in a new host.

It’s easy enough to diagnose the state of your husband’s liver. His physician can order blood tests (“hepatitis screening”) that will prove (or disprove) whether he ever had hepatitis, which type he had, and whether he is still potentially infectious to others. If the blood tests show no evidence of past hepatitis infection, your husband can safely donate blood.

To give you related information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report “Blood – Infections and Disorders.” Other readers who would like a copy should send a long, self-addressed, stamped envelope and $2 to Newsletter, P.O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title.