European Von Willebrand Disease Awareness Day Date in the current year: February 1, 2026

Bleeding disorders, also known as coagulopathies, are a group of conditions that are characterized by impaired blood clotting, which increases the chance of bleeding. While hemophilia is arguably the best-known hereditary coagulopathy, Von Willebrand disease is actually the most common.

The disease is named after the Finnish physician who first described it in 1926, Erik Adolf von Willebrand. In April 1924, he was consulted about a severe bleeding disorder affecting several children in a family from the Åland Islands. After analyzing the family pedigree, he realized that the condition affected both females and males, and was dominant rather than recessive. This meant that it was unlikely to be hemophilia because it is a recessive disorder that primarily affects males.

In 1926, von Willebrand published a Swedish-language article about the disease, which he named hereditary pseudohemophilia. Five years later, he published a German-language version of the article, which attracted international attention and spurred further research. By the early 1940s, the disease was known as von Willebrand disease (VWD).

In the 1950s, researchers concluded that the disease was caused by a defect or deficiency of a blood protein rather than a platelet disorder. This protein was named von Willebrand factor (VWF) and purified in the 1970s.

VWD is a genetic disorder with three types. Types 1 and 2 are inherited through an autosomal dominant pattern, while type 3 is inherited through an autosomal recessive pattern. Type 4, also known as platelet-type von Willebrand disease or pseudo-von Willebrand disease, is not considered a true form of VWD because it has a different underlying mechanism. However, it is often grouped with the other types due to their clinical similarity.

Many patients with types 1 or 2 VWD are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms that do not immediately suggest a bleeding disorder. These symptoms include easy bruising, gum bleeding, frequent nosebleeds, prolonged bleeding after minor cuts, and heavy menstrual bleeding in women. Type 3 is the most severe form due to a nearly complete absence of von Willebrand factor. Patients with type 3 often experience severe mucosal bleeding, frequent nosebleeds, gastrointestinal bleeding, heavy menstrual bleeding, and significant bleeding after injury or surgery.

The most common treatment for patients with types 1 and 2A is desmopressin. It is administered after minor trauma or before dental or minor surgical procedures to allow the body to release more VWF. However, it is ineffective for other subtypes of type 2, as well as type 3. These types are usually treated with regular or on-demand infusions of von Willebrand factor concentrate.

European Von Willebrand Disease Awareness Day was launched in 2023 by the European Haemophilia Consortium (EHC), an international nonprofit organization representing patients with rare bleeding conditions across Europe. February 1, von Willebrand’s birthday, was chosen as the date. The day aims to educate the public about this rare disease and highlight the challenges patients face.