Human Disease Project On...
von Willebrand Disease by John Hartford, Period 7
Inheritance
Treatments
Life Issues
Tests
Bibliography
Von Willebrand disease (vWD) is not a disease at all, but is the most common inherited bleeding disorder. It is less widely known than hemophilia. Unlike hemophilia, which affects only males, vWD affects males and females equally. People with vWD take longer to stop bleeding due to defects or deficiencies in a clotting factor protein called the von Willebrand factor (vWF). Patients with vWD have diminished production of von Willebrand factor or produce von Willebrand factor that does not function normally. This disorder affects both males and females equally, and the symptoms are usually not as severe as those of a person with hemophilia, but do include bleeding from the nose, mouth or intestinal tract. Von Willebrand disease is probably the most common of the inherited clotting disorders although it is generally the least severe.