VWF and von Willebrand disease (hereditary or acquired): For instance, VWF-deficient mice and pigs develop fewer atherosclerotic lesions compared to VWF-expressing animals, suggesting that VWF could participate in attracting leukocytes to lesion sites.161,163 However, human studies revealed conflicting information whether or not atherosclerosis is reduced in patients with VWD (recently reviewed by van Galen et al.164).