| Summary: | Background: The presence of significant bleeding should be distinguishable from non –pathologic bleeding. Bleeding symptoms vary according to sex, age, and ethnicity; in this study, we provide data in an under-reported population. Aims: To assess the bleeding phenotypes in the three major ethnic groups of Nigeria, using the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis –Bleeding Assessment Tool (ISTH-BAT). Materials and methods: This was a cross-sectional study of four hundred and fifty (450), healthy adult, the ISTH-BAT was used to characterize bleeding symptoms. Laboratory investigations include blood count, VWF/Ag, and VWF/CBA Assay. All patients gave their consent for the study and the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital Research Ethics Review Board approved the study. Results: Of the 450 subjects, 33.3% (150/450) reported a history of bleeding. The frequencies of the 13 bleeding symptoms evaluated showed that cutaneous bleeding was 39.8%, epistaxis 37.1%, bleeding from oral cavity was 24.9%, bleeding from minor wounds 17.3%, gastrointestinal bleeding 9.8%, haematuria 5.8% bleeding after surgery 5.1% and bleeding from tooth extraction 4.7%. The Yoruba’s reported more bleeding symptoms (median: 3, IQR: 2–5) than the Igbos (median 1, IQR: 0–3) and Hausas (median: 1, IQR: 1–2) (P = 0.002). Among the 13 bleeding symptoms, only five of them showed a significant association with three of the demographic characteristics. Conclusion: The Yoruba ethnic group represented a greater percentage of those with bleeding symptoms. Bleeding from minor wounds, gastrointestinal bleeding and haematuria occurred more in Yoruba’s, the Hausas represented the greater percentage of those with epistaxis and cutaneous bleeding, while the Igbos had the majority of its population with bleeding from the oral cavity. The most common bleeding symptom in the Nigeria population was cutaneous bleeding.
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