Misdiagnosis of Von Willebrand disease

Alternative diagnoses list for Von Willebrand disease:

For a diagnosis of Von Willebrand disease, the following list of conditions have been mentioned in sources as possible alternative diagnoses to consider during the diagnostic process for Von Willebrand disease:

• Uremia
• Aspirin use
• Glanzmanns thrombasthenia
• Thrombocytopenia
• Hemophillia
• Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia

Discussion of diagnosis/misdiagnosis of Von Willebrand disease:

Because the standard treatments for heavy menstrual bleeding; dilation and curettage (D&C), laparoscopy, or endometrial biopsy, may worsen blood loss in a woman with these disorders. In one study of females with Von Willebrand disease, the single most common congenital bleeding disorder, over 90% had experienced heavy menstrual bleeding. One quarter of them had undergone hysterectomy, often to alleviate the heavy menstrual bleeding. Correct diagnosis can help women avoid potentially dangerous bleeding during surgery or dental procedures. All that is needed to diagnose Von Willebrand disease is a simple coagulation blood test. (Source: excerpt from BLEEDING DISORDERS: NWHIC)

Common Misdiagnoses and Von Willebrand disease

Unnecessary hysterectomies due to undiagnosed bleeding disorder in women: The bleeding disorder called Von Willebrand's disease is quite common in women, but often fails to be correctly diagnosed. Women with the condition tend to have heavy periods, since they actually have a bleeding disorder. Severe afflictions may result in the women receiving a hysterectomy unnecessarily, when the underlying cause has not been identified. See the introduction to Von Willebrand's disease and bleeding disorder.

General Misdiagnosis Articles

Read these general articles with an overview of misdiagnosis issues.

• Misdiagnosis Overview
• How Common is Misdiagnosis?
• Over-Diagnosed Diseases
• Under-Diagnosed Diseases
• Types of Misdiagnosis
• Wrong Type Misdiagnosis
• Why Does Misdiagnosis Occur?
• Difficult Diseases to Diagnose
• More premium medical articles ...

About misdiagnosis:

When checking for a misdiagnosis of Von Willebrand disease or confirming a diagnosis of Von Willebrand disease, it is useful to consider what other medical conditions might be possible misdiagnoses or other alternative conditions relevant to diagnosis. These alternate diagnoses of Von Willebrand disease may already have been considered by your doctor or may need to be considered as possible alternative diagnoses or candidates for misdiagnosis of Von Willebrand disease. For a general overview of misdiagnosis issues for all diseases, see Overview of Misdiagnosis.

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