von Willebrand disease (vWD) is the most commonly
inherited bleeding disorder, affecting up to 3%
of the U.S. population.3
vWD is caused by quantitative or qualitative abnormalities
in vWF (von Willebrand Factor), an integral component
of primary hemostasis that serves as a molecular
bridge between the exposed subendothelium and platelets
at the site of vascular injury. vWF also serves
as a carrier protein for plasma Factor VIII. Mild
type I vWD accounts for the majority of cases (75%-80%),
the remaining cases are categorized as one of the
type II varieties or the severe type III.3
Menorrhagia or excessively heavy or prolonged menstrual
bleeding occurs in up to 20% of reproductive-aged
women.5,6 vWD may be the
cause of menorrhagia in as many as 20% of these
women.7
Clinical
Description
The symptoms of vWD are consistent with a defect
in primary hemostasis and include mucocutaneous
bleeding (e.g., epistaxis, easy bruising, gingival
bleeding). Approximately one-third of women with
vWD experience menorrhagia. The event that often
leads to initial diagnosis in men is postsurgical
bleeding.4
To learn more about identifying patients with vWD,
click here.
