Risk factors

The main risk factor for von Willebrand disease is having a family history of it. Parents pass the abnormal gene for the disease to their children. Rarely, the disease skips generations.

The disease is usually an "autosomal dominant inherited" disorder, which means you need an abnormal gene from only one parent to be affected. If you have the gene for von Willebrand disease, you have a 50% chance of transmitting this gene to your children.

The most severe form of the condition is "autosomal recessive," which means both of your parents have to pass an abnormal gene to you.