Von Willebrand disease is a bleeding disorder that slows the process of blood clotting. This condition often causes bruising, nosebleeds, prolonged bleeding, oozing after an injury, surgery, or losing a tooth. Women with this condition experience excessive bleeding during menstruation (menorrhagia). Spontaneous bleeding without an injury may occur in severe cases of von Willebrand disease. The condition, if mild, may not become apparent until abnormal bleeding occurs following surgery or a serious injury. Symptoms of von Willebrand disease may change with age.

There are three types of Von Willebrand disease, which all cause varying degrees of prolonged bleeding. The mildest form is type 1 and type 3 is the most severe. While most types of the disorder are caused by inherited gene mutations of the VWF gene, another type, acquired von Willebrand syndrome, is not.

The VWF gene provides the genetic instructions for making von Willebrand factor, a blood clotting protein. These proteins are essentially responsible for forming blood clots. Clots protect the body by providing a seal or natural bandage to prevent further blood loss after an injury. These blood clots cannot form properly if there is too little of the protein or if von Willebrand factor does not function normally. This lack of or slow blood clotting is what causes the prolonged bleeding episodes of von Willebrand disease.

Type 1 and occasional cases of type 2 von Willebrand disease are inherited by one copy of the altered gene in each cell. Type 3 and most cases of type 2 von Willebrand disease are inherited by both copies of the gene in each cell having mutations. Usually, the parents do not show signs and symptoms of the condition.

Von Willebrand disease appears to be the most common genetic bleeding disorder. Its prevalence is somewhere between one and 100 or 10,000 since researchers cannot seem to agree. Because this disease is difficult to identify, adoptive parents may realize their child has a problem after an injury or a surgery.

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