Is my bleeding NORMAL?

Learn more about the most common bleeding disorder in the world

Blood contains many different proteins that help the blood stick together and clot when needed, such as at the site of an injury, to stop the bleeding.

One of these proteins is called the von Willebrand factor. When a person has von Willebrand disease, they have lower or no von Willebrand factor in their blood, or the factor doesn't work properly.

As a result, their blood doesn't clot as well and it takes longer for bleeding to stop.

The disease is almost always passed on through a gene which can be inherited from your mother or father (or both), although there are rare instances where it's possible for a person to get it without a family history of the disease.

TYPES AND SYMPTOMS

Symptoms of von Willebrand disease can range from very mild and barely noticeable to frequent and severe. Sometimes the disorder is not diagnosed until after a minor surgical procedure, such as a tooth removal, where heavier or long-lasting bleeding occurs. Some people can have painful bleeding into muscles and joints, sometimes without obvious injury.

There are several types of von Willebrand, including: