title: Nordic Haemophilia Council's practical guidelines on diagnosis and management of von Willebrand disease.
abstract: Von Willebrand disease (VWD) is the most common inherited bleeding disorder characterized by spontaneous or tissue injury-related, mostly mucocutaneous, bleeding events. VWD affects both males and females and is caused by quantitative or qualitative deficiency of Von Willebrand factor. The diagnostic procedure is complicated because VWD is highly heterogeneous, and differential diagnosis from platelet disorders may be challenging. Moreover, these defects may even coexist, impacting the bleeding phenotype. Mild and moderate VWD can be difficult to distinguish from the normal population, and VWD subtyping may also be problematic. This article summarizes the guidelines of the Nordic Haemophilia Council (NHC), which are intended to serve as a practical tool and provide the standards for diagnosing and treating VWD patients. The complete Nordic Guidelines on VWD are available at the NHC Web site (http://nordhemophilia.org).
authors.affiliation: Unit of Coagulation Disorders, Department of Hematology and Clinical Chemistry Laboratory Services, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland. riitta.lassila@hus.fi
authors.forename: Riitta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lassila
authors.forename: Pål André
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Holme
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Landorph
authors.forename: Pia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Petrini
authors.forename: Páll T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Onundarson
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hillarp
mesh_terms: D003718:Denmark; D005387:Finland; D005843:Geography; D006467:Hemophilia A / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007055:Iceland; D009664:Norway; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D013548:Sweden; D014842:von Willebrand Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000601:surgery