About von Willebrand Disease

Von Willebrand disease (VWD) is a bleeding disorder. People with VWD have a problem with a protein in their blood that helps control bleeding. They do not have enough of the protien or it does not word the way it should. It takes longer for blood to clot and for bleeding to stop.

VWD is the most common bleeding disorder that people have. It affects both males and females. VWD is generally less severe than other bleedenig disorders. Many people with VWD may not know that they have the disorder because their bleeding symptoms are very mild. For most people with VWD, the disorder causes little or no disruption to their lives except when there is a serious injury or need for surgery. However, with all forms of VWD, there can be bleeding problems.

It is estimated that up to 1% of the world’s population suffers from VWD, but because many people have only very mild symptoms, only a small number of them know they have it. Research has shown that as many as 9 out of 10 people with VWD have not been diagnosed.