Von Willebrand disease

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Blood clot formation

Von Willebrand disease

Definition:

Von Willebrand disease is the most common hereditary bleeding disorder.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Von Willebrand disease is caused by a deficiency of von Willebrand factor. Von Willebrand factor helps platelets to clump together and stick tothe blood vessel wall, which is necessary for normal blood clotting.

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VonWillebrand diseaseaffects bothmen and women. Most cases are mild. Bleeding may occur after surgery or when you have a tooth pulled. Aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can make this condition worse.Bleeding may decrease during pregnancy.

A family history of a bleeding disorder is the primary risk factor. In women with heavy or prolonged menstrual bleeding, Von Willebrand is more common in Caucasian women than African American women.

References:

Kumar V, Abbas AK, Fausto N. Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease. 7th ed. St. Louis, Mo: WB Saunders; 2005:654-655.

Noble J. Textbook of Primary Care Medicine. 3rd ed. St. Louis, Mo: Mosby; 2001:1047.

Marx J. Rosen?s Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 5th ed. St. Louis, Mo: Mosby; 2002:1693.