Symptoms are usually mild, depending on the level of VWF in the blood. Established to serve the bleeding disorder community, focusing on severe Von Willebrand Disease. It almost always is inherited, or passed down, from a parent to a child. Saving Lives, Protecting People The tests will provide information about the amount of clotting proteins present in the blood and if the clotting proteins are working properly. If you have severe VWD, you may need to take them regularly to help prevent serious bleeds.If your doctor recommends medicine, talk to them about the best option for you and ask about the side effects of each medicine.If VWD causes you to have heavy periods, speak to your GP or specialist about treatments to help control the bleeding.There's also a rare type that is not inherited called "acquired von Willebrand disease". View All Procedures > Mallory Riggs' family had [...]Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Only 3% of people with VWD have Type 3.Most people who have VWD are born with it. A person with Type 1 VWD also might have low levels of factor VIII, another type of blood-clotting protein. Blood contains many proteins that help the body stop bleeding. Whether the child received the affected gene from a parent or as a result of a mutation, once the child has it, the child can later pass it along to his or her children. This is the Professional Version. People with this condition often experience easy bruising, long-lasting nosebleeds, and excessive bleeding or oozing following an injury, surgery, or dental work. Stimuli (such as pregnancy and inflammation) that temporarily increase VWF levels can cause false-negative results in mild VWD; tests may need to be repeated.In the type 1 form of VWD, results are concordant; ie, VWF antigen, VWF function, and plasma factor VIII level are equally depressed. This interferes with the clotting process and can sometimes cause uncontrolled bleeding.Many people with von Willebrand disease also have low levels of factor VIII, another protein that helps in clotting.Factor VIII is involved in another inherited clotting disorder called hemophilia. The three types of hereditary vWD are: vWD type 1, vWD type 2, an… However, warning signs, such as heavy bleeding after a dental procedure, might not show up for years.Von Willebrand disease can't be cured. For minor bleeds, treatment might not be needed.This medicine (DDAVP®) is injected into a vein to treat people with milder forms of VWD (mainly type 1). Sidebars (0) Four different type 2 variants are recognized, distinguished by different functional abnormalities of the VWF molecule.Patients with type 3 VWD have no detectable VWF and a marked deficiency of factor VIII.von Willebrand factor (VWF) replacement when necessaryPatients with von Willebrand disease (VWD) are treated only if they are actively bleeding or are undergoing an invasive procedure (eg, surgery, dental extraction).For patients with type 1 and some variants of type 2 VWD, To ensure adequate response to the drug, physicians give patients a test dose and measure the response of VWF antigen. It is thought that blood group contributes to about 30% of the variability in VWF levels in plasma: Among people not considered to have von Willebrand disease (i.e., normal population) VWF levels are 25-35% lower in individuals with blood group O than in individuals with non-O blood group and those with blood type AB have the highest levels. Click here for the Consumer Version Other common bleeding events include:To find out if a person has VWD, the doctor will ask questions about personal and family histories of bleeding. Videos (0) In type 1 VWD, the von Willebrand Factor (VWF) works normally, but there is not enough of it. If VWD is acquired, meaning it was not inherited from a parent, it cannot be passed along to any children.People with VWD might experience easy bruising that:People with VWD might have longer than normal bleeding after injury, surgery, or childbirth, for example:People with VWD might have longer than normal bleeding during or after dental work, for example:The amount of bleeding depends on the type and severity of VWD. The Von Willebrand Disease Symptoms vary greatly from person to person. This can lead to heavy, hard-to-stop bleeding. If you have the gene for von Willebrand disease, you have a 50% chance of transmitting this gene to your children.The most severe form of the condition is "autosomal recessive," which means both of your parents have to pass an abnormal gene to you.Rarely, von Willebrand disease can cause uncontrollable bleeding, which can be life-threatening. © 1998-2020 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER).