von Willebrand Diseases

About 11% of patients in primary care reported bleeding symptoms in a 2010 Canadian study.1 Mild bleeding disorders should be considered in patients with disproportionate bleeding (i.e., excessive postsurgical bleeding from multiple sites or bleeding that requires blood or iron transfusion).2 Mild bleeding disorders can be inherited or acquired; common diagnoses include mild von Willebrand disease, platelet dysfunction and mild–moderate factor deficiencies.2 Unlike severe inherited bleeding disorders that are often diagnosed in early life, mild inherited bleeding disorders can present in adulthood.