Bleeding scores: are they really useful?

Given the commonality of bleeding symptoms in the general population and the diagnostic limitations of available laboratory testing for mild bleeding disorders, there has been increasing interest in a more precise quantification of bleeding symptoms. The Vicenza bleeding score (and its successor, Molecular and Clinical Markers for the Diagnosis and Management of Type 1 von Willebrand disease [MCMDM-1 VWD]) and its pediatric counterpart, the Pediatric Bleeding Questionnaire, are validated research tools that have demonstrated their ability to discriminate between healthy subjects and those with VWD. These instruments collect data regarding both the presence and severity of a variety of bleeding symptoms and generate a bleeding score by summing the severity of all symptoms reported by a subject. More recent work demonstrates the promise of these tools as a diagnostic aid in the evaluation of patients with a suspected inherited mild bleeding disorder, as well as the development of a condensed score with increased clinical applicability. This review focuses on the development of these bleeding assessment tools, recent publications applying and refining these instruments, and current limitations of bleeding scores. Needed research studies and potential clinical applications of bleeding scores are also discussed. The ultimate goal would be for bleeding scores to be integrated with the results of standardized laboratory testing to allow for a universal diagnostic approach to patients with suspected bleeding disorders.