What is "von willebrand's disease"

n. (context medicine English) An hereditary disease, characterized by a tendency to hemorrhage, and caused by a defect in blood platelet activity.

n. a form of hemophilia discovered by Erik von Willebrand; a genetic disorder that is inherited as an autosomal recessive trait; characterized by a deficiency of the coagulation factor and by mucosal bleeding [syn: angiohemophilia, vascular hemophilia]