OSLER-RENDU-WEBER DISEASE

also called Rendu-osler-weber Disease, or Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia, a hereditary disorder causing bleeding from local capillary lesions. The disorder is classed as a type of purpura. In the disease, capillaries (minute blood vessels) in the fingertips and around the oral and nasal cavities are enlarged and have unusually thin walls; they fill with bright red (well-oxygenated) blood and are easily broken by accidental bumping or jarring, resulting in the release of blood into the tissues or externally. Blood clotting is normal, but frequent bleeding from the nose and elsewhere can become very troublesome and cause severe anemia.