2017/05/05 by Soundarya Selvam, Soundarya N. Selvam, Paula James
Medicine · #Platelet Disorders and Treatments #Antiplatelet Therapy and Cardiovascular Diseases #Blood Coagulation and Thrombosis Mechanisms
paper · doi:10.1055/s-0037-1599145
Severe and intractable gastrointestinal bleeding caused by angiodysplasia is a debilitating problem for up to 20% of patients with von Willebrand disease (VWD). Currently, the lack of an optimal treatment for this recurrent problem presents an ongoing challenge for many physicians in their management of affected patients. Over the past few years, studies have pointed to a regulatory role for the hemostatic protein, von Willebrand factor (VWF), in angiogenesis, providing a novel target for the modulation of vessel development. This article will review the clinical implications and molecular pathology of angiodysplasia in VWD.