Frequency of Different Types of von Willebrand's Disease in the GDR

The frequency of different types of von Willebrand's disease (vWD) was studied in the southern part of the GDR and during investigations of relatives of already diagnosed patients. Among 111 patients diagnosed, vWD was found to be type I in 85 cases, type II in 13 cases and severe recessive type in 13 cases. The patients with type I belonged to 46 different families. Two families with type II had the II A variant and another a variant similar to II C. No patients with type II B were diagnosed. The incidence of severe recessive vWD was estimated to be lower than in Sweden but higher than in Italy and France.