Low prothrombin time in a blood test

If you need to know which are the prothrombin time reference ranges or you require more information about prothrombin time in a blood test, you can visit normal prothrombin time in a blood test.

A low prothrombin time (PT) in a blood test has no clinical meaning. It is not used for the diagnosis of any disease.

If the prothrombin time (PT) is low, it means that when there is a hemorrhage the clot is formed very fast and the bleeding stops quickly.

This may be positive, but it may be related to a hypercoagulable state where the blood clots too much and increase the risk of blood clot formation in veins.

In practice, most cases are usually to error in the measurement so if the prothrombin time is low it is recommended to perform a new test again to exclude this possibility.

The most common diseases why the prothrombin time can be lower than normal are:

A prothrombin time (PT) decrease may be due to an excessive vitamin K intake. For this reason, you may try to reduce your vitamin K intake. The following foods are rich in vitamin K and you should reduce the intake: leafy greens (sprouts, kale or broccoli), cucumbers, asparagus or chickpeas.

If your doctor considers it appropriate he can prescribe you oral anticoagulants (warfarin) to avoid the clot formation. They increase the prothrombin time as a consequence.

The following values are considered to be above the normal range:

IMPORTANT: These levels are expressed in seconds. They are an example of a healthy man/woman of about 40 years old with no known disease and not taking any medication. The ranges can be different depending on the laboratory or on your personal circumstances.