How von Willebrand Disease is Inherited

Most people who have von Willebrand disease (VWD) are born with it. It almost always is inherited, or passed down, from a parent to a child. VWD can be passed down from either the mother or the father, or both, to the child.

The child of a parent with VWD has a 50% chance of getting the gene for the condition and, therefore, of having VWD. In types 1 and 2, if even one parent has the gene for the disease and passes it to a child, the child will have the disease. In type 3, the child usually gets the gene for the disease from both parents. If both parents have VWD, the child could get either a mild (50% chance) or severe (25% chance) form of the disease. If neither parent shows the disease (recessive VWD), the child could get the severe form (25%). VWD Type 2N is also inherited as a recessive trait.

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