hemorrhage

pathology
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/science/hemorrhage
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

hemorrhage, Escape of blood from blood vessels into surrounding tissue. When a vessel is injured, hemorrhage continues as long as the vessel remains open and the pressure in it exceeds the pressure outside of it. Normally, coagulation closes the vessel and stops the bleeding. Uncontrolled hemorrhage can result from anticoagulant therapy, hemophilia, or severe blood-vessel damage, leading to excessive blood loss and shock.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kara Rogers.