NHLBI Issues First U.S. von Willebrand Disease Clinical Practice Guidelines

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health has issued the first clinical guidelines in the United States for the diagnosis and management of von Willebrand Disease (VWD), the most common inherited bleeding disorder.Typically milder but more common than another bleeding disorder, hemophilia, VWD affects 1 out of every 100 to 1,000 people – both males and females.

The guidelines include recommendations on screening, diagnosis, disease management, and directions for future research. An extensive article on the guidelines is available for free in the March 08 issue of the journal Haemophilia.

?óÔé¼?ôThese are the first guidelines on von Willebrand Disease published in the United States and we are pleased to offer clinicians science-based recommendations in the evaluation and treatment of patients,?óÔé¼?Ø said NHLBI Director Elizabeth G. Nabel, M.D. ?óÔé¼?ôThe disease can be difficult to diagnose, especially in women of child-bearing age and in children, and the danger of excessive bleeding is often under-recognized.?óÔé¼?Ø

Read the Full Report from the NHLBI

Pocket Guidelines from the NHLBI