von Willebrand Disease Symptoms & Diagnosis

Symptoms

Many people with the vWD gene have very mild symptoms or none at all. When symptoms do occur, the severity varies from person-to-person. Many people only notice symptoms after taking aspirin or similar medications that interfere with clotting. Symptoms usually begin in childhood and fluctuate throughout life. Common symptoms include:

Easy bruising
Frequent or prolonged nosebleeds
Prolonged bleeding from the gums and minor cuts
Heavy or prolonged bleeding during menstrual periods
Bleeding in the digestive system
Prolonged bleeding after injury, childbirth, surgery, or invasive dental procedures

Diagnosis

Your doctor will ask about your symptoms and medical history, and perform a physical exam. Blood tests may be done to check the following:

Bleeding time—In vWD it will be prolonged, particularly after the administration of aspirin.
Factor VIII antigen—This indirectly measures levels of vWF in your blood; in vWD, it will be reduced.
Ristocetin cofactor activity—This shows how well your vWF works; in vWD, it will be decreased.
von Willebrand factor multimer—This examines the different structural types of vWF in the blood; in vWD, it will be reduced.