2020 Science Update on the Diagnosis of Von Willebrand Disease

Von Willebrand disease (VWD) is the most common inherited bleeding disorder and is estimated to affect up to 1% of the U.S. population. People with VWD typically experience mucosal bleeding symptoms such as epistaxis, easy bruising, gingival bleeding, heavy menstrual bleeding, and excessive bleeding with surgery. The diagnosis of VWD is complex, and improved diagnosis is needed for affected patients to receive appropriate care and treatment. The difficulties in making a diagnosis of VWD stem, in part, from the array of laboratory tests required, and in part from the lack of reliability of some of these tests. Diagnosis also requires a bleeding history, but there are challenges in obtaining such a history, particularly in young children. While there are no simple solutions for the difficulties in VWD diagnosis, recent progress has now made it easier to rule out the presence of VWD in select populations.
In this webinar, Dr. Flood will review the diagnostic approach to VWD, including the assessment of bleeding history and the utilization of laboratory measurements, and the challenges and advances related to this approach. Dr. Flood will also share insights from the Zimmerman Program for the Molecular and Clinical Biology of VWD, a national study of VWD in the United States.

Learning Objectives:
1. Describe the laboratory criteria for diagnosis of VWD.
2. List two difficulties associated with VWD laboratory testing.
3. Describe the range of presentation of VWD in the United States.