With early diagnosis, people with von Willebrand disease can lead normal, active lives. Type 1 is the mildest and most common form Type 3 is the most severe and least common form. Von Willebrand disease is classified into three different types (Types 1, 2, and 3), based on the levels of von Willebrand factor and factor VIII activity in the blood. Women are especially affected by von WIllebrand disease during menses. It is usually milder than hemophilia and can affect both males and females. Von Willebrand disease is an inherited condition that results when the blood lacks functioning von Willebrand factor, a protein that helps the blood to clot and also carries another clotting protein, factor VIII. What Is von Willebrand Disease and How Is It Treated? Thanks to improved screening techniques, and a major breakthrough that enabled scientists to create synthetic blood factors in the laboratory by cloning the genes responsible for specific clotting factors, today's factor-replacement therapies are pure and much safer than ever before. In the past, people with hemophilia were treated with transfusions of factor VIII obtained from donor blood, but by the early 1980s these products were discovered to be transmitting blood-borne viruses, including hepatitis and HIV. In addition, people with hemophilia may suffer from internal bleeding that can damage joints, organs, and tissues over time. Men have one X and one Y chromosome, so if their X chromosome has the defective gene, they will have hemophilia.īecause blood does not clot properly without enough clotting factor, any cut or injury carries the risk of excessive bleeding. In fact, some women may have “mild hemophilia,” though this is less common. Due to random chromosome activation, some women carriers may range from asymptomatic to symptomatic depending on how much of their factor VIII or IX is inactivated. Women who have one X chromosome with the defective gene are termed carriers and they can pass the disease onto their sons. Hemophilia results from a genetic defect found on the X chromosome. Hemophilia is classified as type A or type B, based on which type of clotting factor is lacking (factor VIII in type A and factor IX in type B). Hemophilia is a rare, inherited bleeding disorder that can range from mild to severe, depending on how much clotting factor is present in the blood. What Is Hemophilia and How Is It Treated? Heavy bleeding from small cuts or dental work.Symptoms of bleeding disorders may include: Individuals and pregnant women with a family history of bleeding disorders should talk to their doctors about detection and treatment. These diseases are almost always inherited, although in rare cases they can develop later in life if the body forms antibodies that fight against the blood's natural clotting factors. Am I at Risk?īleeding disorders such as hemophilia and von Willebrand disease result when the blood lacks certain clotting factors. You can find information on other bleeding disorders by following the links at the bottom of this page. Platelet disorders are the most common cause of bleeding disorder and are usually acquired rather than inherited. Von Willebrand disease can affect both males and females. Many more people are affected by von Willebrand disease, the most common inherited bleeding disorder in America caused by clotting proteins. Hemophilia is perhaps the most well-known inherited bleeding disorder, although it is relatively rare. Bleeding can result from either too few or abnormal platelets, abnormal or low amounts of clotting proteins, or abnormal blood vessels. While too much clotting can lead to conditions such as heart attacks and strokes, the inability to form clots can be very dangerous as well, as it can result in excessive bleeding. Proteins in the blood called clotting factors then interact to form a fibrin clot, essentially a gel plug, which holds the platelets in place and allows healing to occur at the site of the injury while preventing blood from escaping the blood vessel. In normal clotting, platelets, a type of blood cell, stick together and form a plug at the site of an injured blood vessel. Bleeding disorders are a group of conditions that result when the blood cannot clot properly.
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