ecosystem The living and non-living parts of the environment in a specific area. (Ecosystems can be really small or really large!) ecology The study of how living things are related each other and to their natural environment. Environment Everything that surrounds an organism and influences it. The study of how living things are related each other and to their natural environment.
Von Willebrand disease (VWD) is almost always inherited. Inherited means that the disorder is passed from parents to children though genes. You can inherit type 1 or type 2 VWD if only one of your parents passes the gene on to you. You usually inherit type 3 VWD only if both of your parents pass the gene on to you.
vWD is the most common type of bleeding disorder, affecting an estimated 1% of the world's population. Von Willebrand Disease affects males and females equally. However, because symptoms can be mild, many people affected have not been diagnosed. People with VWD have decreased or malfunctioning Von Willebrand factor (VWF) activity and therefore cannot form a proper platelet plug. VWF has two roles in blood coagulation: VWF is the protein that makes platelets stick together to form a platelet plug.