Brittani+H.

Dr. Erik von Willebrand came upon a disease in 1925 and called it Von Willebrand Disease. Bleeding that is excessive or prolonged could possibly be a suggestion of Von Willebrand Disease, it occurs in humans, both men and women, and dogs. The disease occurs in 1 to 2 percent of the population. It is more often than not that its found in Caucasian women, than African American women. Mystery bruising, limitless bleeding, and consistent nosebleeds are also part of a sign of the genetic disorder,although most peoples symptoms are so temperate that no one knows they have the disease." Von Willebrand disease can have heavy, hard to stop bleeding after an injury, and has the possibility to damage your internal organs or even be life threatening although it is rare." Von Willebrand is otherwise known as vWD. vWD is when blood is clotting improperly and is an inherited disorder. The genetic disorder is autosomal dominant and one of the most common genetic bleeding disorders. It is caused by a defiency of von Willebrand Factor, a blood clotting protein, and Willebrand factors lessen with age, pregnancy, exercise and stress. There are three times of vWD, Type One is the mildest and type three is the most severe. Rare cases of type 2 von Willebrand disease and all of type 1 are autosomal dominant, "which means one copy of the altered gene in each cell is sufficent to cause the disorder." The rest of type two and all type three are autosomal recessive, "which means both copies of the gene in each cell have mutations. The parents of the child with autosomal recessive "carry one copy of the mutated gene, but do not show signs and symptoms." Acquired vWD isnt caused by gene mutations but is together with other disorders that are in a chain reaction with bone marrow dieases and immune cell functions. Symptoms can be treated with medicine that can relase more von Willebrand factors, replace the factors, prevent clot breakdown and control womens' heavy menstrual bleeding,but asprin and other medications can make the bleeding worse. The chronic villi sampling test can be taken to find out if the children would have the disease, although pregnancy does decrease the bleeding. There are support groups for people with the disease, like MDJunction, Women with Bleeding Disorders, and DailyStrength. media type="custom" key="3620553"

Sources: “Von Willebrand Disease”. The Nemours Foundation. 3/27/09.  “Von Willebrand Disease.” Genetics Home Refrence. 3/31/09.< [] > “Von Willebrand Disease.” National Hemophelia Foundation. 3/31/09. "Von Willebrand Disease." People Helping People. 4/7/09. [] "