Diagnosis of von Willebrand disease in Western Mexico.

Introduction: Von Willebrand disease (VWD) is the most common inherited bleeding disorder with a prevalence of 0.1%, characterised by quantitative or functional deficiency of von Willebrand factor (VWF). VWD diagnosis is based on symptomology, biochemical and genetic tests, but limited laboratory resources and VWD heterogeneity still generate an important subdiagnosis gap worldwide and in our country.

Thrombin generation and international normalized ratio in inherited thrombophilia patients receiving thromboprophylactic therapy.

Background: Thrombin generation assay (TGA) is useful as a global functional test for assessing bleeding or thrombotic risk and its modification with therapy. We investigated TGA to assess anticoagulation status compared with the international normalized ratio (INR) system in patients with primary thrombophilia receiving and not undergoing thromboprophylaxis.

Materials And Methods: We studied 50 patients with at least one thrombotic event and a confirmed diagnosis of inherited thrombophilia.

[Diagnostic algorithm for von Willebrand Disease (vWD) in a Mexican population].

The diagnosis of von Willebrand disease (vWD) is complex and requires several screening and confirmation tests, such as the analysis of vWF multimers, which is considered the gold standard for vWD subtyping; however, it only discriminates 2A subtype while the 2B, 2M, and 2N subtypes require additional tests and even genetic testing for final confirmation. It is important to consider the patients’ hemotype for the vWD diagnosis, particularly in Mexico where hemotype “O” predominates and may entail a 20-25% decreased level of plasma vWF and increased bleeding tendency.