Von Willebrand disease is the most common bleeding disorder. It is an inherited lifelong bleeding condition where a person bleeds more easily than normal and the blood does not clot properly.

Blood contains many proteins that facilitate clotting. One of them is von Willebrand Factor. This Factor is a protein that aids the clotting of blood when bleeding occurs.

Von Willebrand disease occurs when there is a low level of von Willebrand factor in the blood or when von Willebrand factor is not functioning properly. Von Willebrand disease affects both males and females and is milder than haemophilia. It is caused by the inheritance of an abnormal gene that controls the von Willebrand factor which can be from one or both parents. It can also be a result of spontaneous mutation or acquired von Willebrand disease.

Symptoms of von Willebrand disease can be mild or absent. Some of the symptoms are easy bruises, frequent nose bleeds, bleeding gums, bloody urine or stool, heavy bleeding after tooth removal, surgery or injury. In females, there are heavy periods and heavy bleeding during or after labour.

Complications of von Willebrand disease are gut bleeding, anaemia and painful bleeding into the joints and muscles. There is no cure yet. Meanwhile, treatment and self-care can help in leading healthy lives.

Certain tests are carried out in the laboratory to diagnose von Willebrand disease. They are Complete Blood Count, Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time (APTT) Test, Prothrombin Time (PT) Test, Fibrinogen Test, Platelet Aggregation Test, von Willebrand Factor Antigen, von Willebrand Factor Activity, Factor VIII Clotting Activity and von Willebrand Factor multimers.

Visit MedBioTechLab for your blood tests for early detection of von Willebrand disease.

References:

www.cdc.gov

www.mayoclinic.org

www.nhs.uk