In the United States, von Willebrand Disease is the most common bleeding disorder, where approximately 1 in every 100 people is affected. It occurs among men and women equally, but women are more likely to observe the effects of VWD because of heavy or abnormal bleeding during their menstrual periods and after childbirth. Most people have inherited VWD from their parents.
Von Willebrand disease is a bleeding disorder affecting both males and females, where the patient’s blood does not clot normally as he/she is missing clotting Factor 8 and either has none or low levels of von Willebrand factor, or the factor does not work correctly. Von Willebrand symptoms are usually milder than hemophilia symptoms, but can still be dangerous.
There are three types of von Willebrand:
Type 1: The most common and mildest type, where the patient has lower-than-normal levels of von Willebrand factor, and sometimes factor VIII.
Type 2: (with subtypes being 2A, 2B, 2M, and 2N): A patient’s body is able to make normal amounts of the von Willebrand factor but it does not work the way it should.
● Subtype 2A - The level of the von Willebrand factor is decreased. The ability of platelets to clump together is also reduced.
● Subtype 2B - The von Willebrand factor does not work but the ability of platelets to clump together is actually increased.
● Subtype 2M - Von Willebrand factor levels are reduced and the interaction of the factor with the platelets or connecting the tissue is decreased.
● Subtype 2N - The binding of the von Willebrand factor to factor VIII (8) is significantly reduced.
Type 3: The most severe form of von Willebrand a patient can have, where they have very little or no von Willebrand factor and low levels of factor VIII.
There is currently no cure for von Willebrand Disease but it can be treated through medications like Desmopressin, which is an injection of a synthetic hormone that controls a patient’s bleeding by stimulating their body to release more of the von Willebrand factor.
VWD is usually diagnosed through blood tests. Four of the blood tests are called, von Willebrand factor antigen, von Willebrand factor activity, Factor VIII clotting activity, and von Willebrand factor multimers.
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