Which of the following is a HAS-BLED bleeding risk factor?

• A. Hyperlipidemia
• B. Uncontrolled hypertension
• C. Diabetes mellitus
• D. Smoking

Answer: (B)

Uncontrolled hypertension increases bleeding risk from anticoagulation and is specifically included in the HAS-BLED score as the Hypertension component. In HAS-BLED, Hypertension (uncontrolled, typically defined as systolic blood pressure >160 mmHg) adds one point toward the bleeding risk assessment. That makes it a direct HAS-BLED factor. The other options—hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and smoking—aren’t part of the HAS-BLED components, even though they affect cardiovascular risk in other contexts. Recognizing uncontrolled blood pressure helps clinicians mitigate a modifiable contributor to bleeding risk when deciding on anticoagulation and monitoring.