Who Is at Risk for Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation?

Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) is the result of an underlying disease or condition. People who have one or more of the following conditions are most likely to develop DIC:

• Sepsis (an infection in the bloodstream)
• Surgery and trauma
• Cancer
• Serious complications of pregnancy and childbirth

People who are bitten by poisonous snakes (such as rattlesnakes and other vipers), or those who have frostbite or burns, also are at risk for DIC.

Source: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health