What does an elevated von Willebrand Factor mean?

VWF is an acute-phase reactant and may be elevated above baseline in association with a variety of conditions including inflammation, stress, exercise, liver disease, pregnancy or estrogen therapy. Baseline VWF levels also increase with aging.

What is the von Willebrand blood test?

A von Willebrand factor (vWF) antigen test measures the amount of a clotting factor called von Willebrand factor. The body’s clotting factors work together in a special order, almost like pieces of a puzzle. When the last piece is in place, the clot develops.

How do you reduce von Willebrand factor?

Treatment options for patients with low VWF and significant bleeding phenotypes include antifibrinolytic agents, such as tranexamic acid or aminocaproic acid, DDAVP, and VWF-containing concentrates. Tranexamic acid has been widely used in the management and prevention of bleeding in VWD.

What is Ristocetin factor?

What Is a vWF Activity – Ristocetin Cofactor Test? Proteins called clotting factors help blood clot properly and help prevent too much bleeding. A von Willebrand factor (vWF) activity – ristocetin (riss-teh-SEE-tin) cofactor test lets doctors see how a protein called von Willebrand factor is working.

How does von Willebrand Factor work?

Von Willebrand factor helps platelets stick together and adhere to the walls of blood vessels at the site of a wound. These groups of platelets form temporary clots, plugging holes in blood vessel walls to help stop bleeding.

How is high von Willebrand factor treated?

Desmopressin. This medication is available as an injection (DDAVP). It’s a synthetic hormone that controls bleeding by stimulating your body to release more of the von Willebrand factor stored in the lining of your blood vessels. Many doctors consider DDAVP the first treatment for managing von Willebrand disease.

Is von Willebrand factor found in the plasma?

VWF is a large multimeric glycoprotein present in blood plasma and produced constitutively as ultra-large VWF in endothelium (in the Weibel–Palade bodies), megakaryocytes (α-granules of platelets), and subendothelial connective tissue.