Background The symptoms of factor XI (FXI) deficiency are generally mild. Cases of early diagnosis during the neonatal period are uncommon, particularly with hematochezia as an initial symptom. Case Presentation A male infant was born with a birth weight of 2368 g via an elective cesarean section at 38 weeks of gestation, without any family history of a bleeding disorder. On the fifth day after birth, he presented with bloody vomiting, and shortly thereafter, he passed dark red stools. He had a normal prothrombin time‐international normalized ratio, prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) of 95. 4 s, and FXI activity measuring C, p. Phe239Ser, and NM₀00128. 4; c. 961₉62del, p. Cys321HisfsTer37) on chromosome 4, confirming the diagnosis of FXI deficiency. Conclusions FXI deficiency presenting with hematochezia as the initial symptom in neonates is rare. Although FXI deficiency is commonly perceived as mild, the possibility of neonatal hematochezia in severe cases requires careful assessment and treatment.
Tonsho et al. (2026) studied this question.