Von Willebrand disease (patient information)

	WikiDoc Resources for Von Willebrand disease (patient information)
Articles
Most recent articles on Von Willebrand disease (patient information) Most cited articles on Von Willebrand disease (patient information) Review articles on Von Willebrand disease (patient information) Articles on Von Willebrand disease (patient information) in N Eng J Med, Lancet, BMJ
Media
Powerpoint slides on Von Willebrand disease (patient information) Images of Von Willebrand disease (patient information) Photos of Von Willebrand disease (patient information) Podcasts & MP3s on Von Willebrand disease (patient information) Videos on Von Willebrand disease (patient information)
Evidence Based Medicine
Cochrane Collaboration on Von Willebrand disease (patient information) Bandolier on Von Willebrand disease (patient information) TRIP on Von Willebrand disease (patient information)
Clinical Trials
Ongoing Trials on Von Willebrand disease (patient information) at Clinical Trials.gov Trial results on Von Willebrand disease (patient information) Clinical Trials on Von Willebrand disease (patient information) at Google
Guidelines / Policies / Govt
US National Guidelines Clearinghouse on Von Willebrand disease (patient information) NICE Guidance on Von Willebrand disease (patient information) NHS PRODIGY Guidance FDA on Von Willebrand disease (patient information) CDC on Von Willebrand disease (patient information)
Books
Books on Von Willebrand disease (patient information)
News
Von Willebrand disease (patient information) in the news Be alerted to news on Von Willebrand disease (patient information) News trends on Von Willebrand disease (patient information)
Commentary
Blogs on Von Willebrand disease (patient information)
Definitions
Definitions of Von Willebrand disease (patient information)
Patient Resources / Community
Patient resources on Von Willebrand disease (patient information) Discussion groups on Von Willebrand disease (patient information) Patient Handouts on Von Willebrand disease (patient information) Directions to Hospitals Treating Von Willebrand disease (patient information) Risk calculators and risk factors for Von Willebrand disease (patient information)
Healthcare Provider Resources
Symptoms of Von Willebrand disease (patient information) Causes & Risk Factors for Von Willebrand disease (patient information) Diagnostic studies for Von Willebrand disease (patient information) Treatment of Von Willebrand disease (patient information)
Continuing Medical Education (CME)
CME Programs on Von Willebrand disease (patient information)
International
Von Willebrand disease (patient information) en Espanol Von Willebrand disease (patient information) en Francais
Business
Von Willebrand disease (patient information) in the Marketplace Patents on Von Willebrand disease (patient information)
Experimental / Informatics
List of terms related to Von Willebrand disease (patient information)

	Von Willebrand disease;
ICD-10	D68.0
ICD-9	286.4
OMIM	193400
DiseasesDB	14007
MedlinePlus	000544
MeSH	D014842

For the WikiDoc page for this topic, click here

Editor-in-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S.,M.D. [1] Phone:617-632-7753; Associate Editor-In-Chief: Lakshmi Gopalakrishnan, M.B.B.S.

Overview

Von Willebrand disease is the most common hereditary bleeding disorder.

What are the symptoms of Von Willebrand disease?

Abnormal menstrual bleeding
Bleeding of the gums
Bruising
Nosebleeds
Skin rash

What causes Von Willebrand disease?

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

Von Willebrand disease affects men and women equally. 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.

Who is at highest risk?

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 in African American women. The majority of women with heavy or prolonged menstrual bleeding do NOT have Von Willebrand disease.

When to seek urgent medical care?

Call your health care provider if bleeding occurs without reason.

If you have von Willebrand disease and are scheduled for surgery or are in an accident, be sure you or your family notify the health care providers about your condition.

Diagnosis

Tests that may be done to diagnose this disease include:

Bleeding time (is prolonged)
Platelet aggregation test
Platelet count (may be low or normal)
Ristocetin cofactor test (the primary assay test used to diagnose von Willebrand disease)
Von Willebrand factor level (level is reduced)

This disease may also alter the results of the following tests:

Factor VIII level
Von Willebrand factor multimers (parts of the von Willebrand factor protein molecule)

Von Willebrand disease may be hard to diagnose. Low von Willebrand factor levels and bleeding do not always mean you have von Willebrand disease.

Treatment options

Medications such as desamino-8-arginine vasopressin (DDAVP) can be given to raise the levels of von Willebrand factor, which will reduce the tendency toward bleeding.

Some types of von Willebrand disease do not respond to DDAVP. Tests should be done to determine a patient's specific type of von Willebrand disease before trauma or surgery occurs. A trial of DDAVP can be done before surgery to test whether von Willebrand factor levels increase.

The drug Alphanate (antihemophilic factor) is approved to decrease bleeding in patients with the disease who must have surgery or any other invasive procedure.

Blood plasma or certain factor VIII preparations may also be used to decrease bleeding.

Where to find medical care for Von Willebrand disease?

Directions to Hospitals Treating Von Willebrand disease

What to expect (Outlook/Prognosis)?

Women who have this condition generally do NOT have excessive bleeding during childbirth.

This disease is passed down through families. Therefore, genetic counseling may help prospective parents understand the risk to their children.

Possible complications

Bleeding (hemorrhaging) may occur after surgeries or other invasive procedures.

If you have von Willebrand disease, do not take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as aspirin or ibuprofen, without talking to your health care provider.

Source

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000544.htm

Template:SIB Template:WH Template:WS