Frequency of Von Willebrand Disease and its Types: Data from a Tertiary Care Hospital of Karachi, Pakistan

Abstract

Objective: The aim of the present study is to determine the frequency and types of von Willebrand disease in a tertiary care hospital of Karachi, Pakistan.

Methodology: This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted in the section of haematology and transfusion medicine, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, from May 2020 to April 2021 after the approval from Ethical Review Committee (2020-3537-10215). The consecutive blood samples of both genders and of all ages received within the study period for the diagnostic workup of vWD were included.  The data was analysed using SPSS version 20.

Results: A total of 552 samples for VWF Ag were received. vWD was identified in 47(8.5%) of the samples, and 505 patients had no disease.  Female to male ratio was 1.5:1.  The median age was 11 years (ranges from 10 days to 70 years). Thirty (5.4%) of patients had Type I disease, 11 (2%) patients had type III, and out of 47 patients, 6 (1%) patients were diagnosed to have type II disease, while 19 (3.4%) patients had low VWF Ag due to other causes.

Conclusion: In the current study, type I vWD was found to be the most common type, whereas other studies from Pakistan have commonly reported type III.