title: Diagnosis and treatment of von Willebrand disease.
abstract: Von Willebrand disease (VWD) is the most common bleeding disorder; it is believed to occur in approximately 1% to 2% of the population. Mucocutaneous and surgical hemorrhage in affected individuals is caused by quantitative and qualitative defects in von Willebrand factor (VWF), a large, multimeric protein that supports platelet adhesion and aggregation in the initiation of hemostasis at the time of vascular injury and functions as a carrier protein for factor VIII in the circulation. Advances in cellular and molecular biology have led to improved understanding of the pathophysiology of the disorder and development of a classification scheme that is based on quantitative and qualitative defects. Effective treatment is dependent on an accurate diagnosis using specific assays of VWF that define the various defects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA. coxgillj@mcw.edu
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cox Gill
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D014842:von Willebrand Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D014841:von Willebrand Factor / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D014841:von Willebrand Factor