Although von Willebrand disease (VWD) was first recognized as early as 1926 by Erik von Willebrand,1 it is only in the 1970 s that the protein responsible for this disease, i.e. von Willebrand factor was formally recognized as an independent entity not to be confused with coagulation factor VIII (FVIII). This evidence concerns the gene VWF and von Willebrand disease (hereditary or acquired).