Is von Willebrand disease the same thing as hemophilia?
No. Both VWD and hemophilia are bleeding disorders, but VWD is caused by a deficient or defective protein in the blood called von Willebrand factor. Hemophilia refers to bleeding disorders caused by low levels of a type of protein in the blood called factor VIII (hemophilia A) or factor IX (hemophilia B). While hemophilia may be more commonly known, VWD is actually a much more common disease. In fact, VWD is the most common inherited bleeding disorder in humans,2 afflicting about one in every 100 people.
