Synthesis of AHF in von Willebrand’s Disease

A 5 year old girl suffering from a severe hemorrhagic disorder which appears identical to von Willebrand’s disease is presented. Transfusion of either normal or hemophilic plasma resulted in brief shortening of the bleeding time and gradual and sustained elevation of the AHF (factor VIII) level. The latter observation suggested that this patient was able to synthesize her own AHF when infused with a material present in normal or hemophilic plasma.