This von Willebrand disease symptoms checker gathers the most important symptoms, signs, and risk factors for this disease. The purpose of this tool is to identify bleeding situations that could correspond to the von Willebrand disease. Therefore, for anyone who uses it, this tool will help to determine the likelihood of having the disease.
Von Willebrand Disease is a common genetic condition that causes abnormal bleeding in people.
Von Willebrand Disease is a bleeding disorder in which the blood is not clotting properly. Blood clotting or hemostasis is a process that involves many components, including proteins and platelets. One of them is the Von Willebrand Factor.
Hemostasis has four essential steps to form a blood clot and finally close the rupture in a blood vessel. These four steps are the following: Constriction or narrowing of the blood vessel, formation of temporary "platelet plug", activation of the coagulation cascade, and the creation of "fibrin plug" or the final clot.
After the initial damage to the blood vessel, it constricts itself to prevent the loss of blood. Additionally, it lets out a signal (proteins that act as markers) to bring platelets to the damaged site.
These platelets begin to bind between each other to form a temporary clot to prevent blood loss. Platelets also release chemicals into the bloodstream to bring the proteins that will definitely close the injury.
These are specific proteins that receive the name of Factors. They have roman numerals by their side, for example, Factor VIII. These clotting factors will act as a link between them to activate thrombin. This latter enzyme will make a substance called fibrinogen that will then become fibrin. Finally, fibrin has a composition that will repair the injured blood vessel.
Von Willebrand factor plays a significant role in blood clotting as it promotes the platelet function. It enhances platelet adhesion to the injury's location. Also, it helps maintain normal Factor VIII levels.
In a nutshell, without the Von Willebrand factor, Factor VIII would degrade very quickly. If Von Willebrand factor levels are low, like in Von Willebrand Disease, abnormal bleeding may happen. The response will be slower, and there will not be enough clotting factors to repair the injury.
Furthermore, there are many types of von Willebrand disease. Luckily, type 1, which is the most common one, results in the milder of them all. On the other hand, type 3 von Willebrand Disease, which also affects people can thoroughly change their lives.
The estimation is that this condition affects 1% of the global population. And, per every one million people, it severely affects two to three persons.
Besides, there is the possibility too, although rare, to acquire this condition. Nearly all the cases of von Willebrand Disease will run in the family's blood. So, if a close family member has it, their relatives can expect to have it too.
Nonetheless, there are several conditions, including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, LUPUS, or hypothyroidism; they can prompt a von Willebrand disease that could resolve by treating the underneath cause.
Sometimes von Willebrand disease can pass under the table cause patients usually cope with their symptoms when they are mild. This case will not be the one for patients with severe forms of the disease.
This von Willebrand disease symptoms checker gathers the most important symptoms, signs, and risk factors for this disease.
The purpose of this tool is to identify bleeding situations that could correspond to the von Willebrand disease. Therefore, for anyone who uses it, this tool will help to determine the likelihood of having the disease.
Please, do not get caught off guard. By using this tool, you could know if those bleeding episodes that have been occurring throughout life, after all, are not so ordinary.
Besides, the most important feature of this tool is that it is free and would only take a few minutes to complete it.
Originally published at symptoms.care on August 22, 2020.
