Obstacles to Early Diagnosis and Treatment of Inherited von Willebrand Disease: Current Perspectives

Von Willebrand disease (VWD), the most common inherited bleeding disorder, is highly heterogeneous, and its early diagnosis may be difficult, especially for mild cases and in qualitative von Willebrand factor (VWF) defects. Appropriate VWD diagnosis requires the combination of personal and/or family history of bleeding and abnormal VWF laboratory testing. The use of bleeding assessment tools has been helpful in standardizing bleeding history collection and quantification of bleeding symptoms to select patients who may benefit of further hemostatic testing. Type 1 and 3 VWD which represent quantitative VWD variants are relatively easy to diagnose. The diagnosis of type 2 VWD requires multiple assessments to evaluate the effects induced by the responsible abnormality on the heterogeneous functions of VWF. Sensitive and reproducible tests are needed to evaluate different VWF activities, starting from measuring VWF-platelet interaction. In the recent years, several increasingly sensitive, rapid and automated assays have been developed, but they are not widely available so far. Genetic testing for VWD diagnosis is not a common practice because VWF gene is very large and highly polymorphic and therefore it is used only in specific cases. It is evident that the early and correct VWD diagnosis allows optimal management of bleeding and situations at risk. Tranexamic acid, desmopressin, replacement therapy with plasma-derived concentrates with a variable content of VWF and FVIII, or the new recombinant VWF are the different therapeutic options available. Careful VWD classification guides treatment because desmopressin is widely used in type 1 while replacement therapy is the cornerstone of treatment for type 2 and 3 variants.