Polycythemia Vera Diagnosis Type And Treatment

Polycythemia Vera Diagnosis

• Chronic myeloproliferative disorders are due to over­production of one or more of the formed elements of blood.
• These are polycythemia vera, chronic idiopathic my­elofibrosis, essential thrombocytosis, chronic myeloid leukemia.

Definition Polycythemia Vera My­elofibrosis

Polycythemia vera is a clonal disorder with ac­cumulation of phenotypically normal red cells, granulocytes and platelets without any known physiologic stimulus.  

• There is a genetic basis for the disorder. There is massive splenomegaly.
• There is high hemoglobin or hematocrit. There is uncontrolled erythrocytosis.
• There is vertigo, tinnitus, headache and visual dis­turbances.
• There is systolic hypertension.
• There is venous or arterial thrombosis, particularly intraabdominal venous thrombosis.
• Patients of polycythemia vera develop Budd Chiari syndrome.
• There is ischemia of digits.
• There is easy bruising, epistaxis, GI (gastrointesti­nal) haemorrhage.
• There is hyperuricaemia, with secondary gout, and uric acid stones.
• Acid peptic disease is very common.

Causes of polycythemia

Causes of polycythemia

• Polycythemia vera
• Carbon mono-oxide poisoning High altitude
• Pulmonary diseases
• Sleep apnea syndrome
• Right to left cardiac shunts
• Renal diseases like renal artery stenosis, cysts, transplantation
• Hypernephroma, hepatoma Pheochromocytoma.

Diagnosis Polycythemia Vera My­elofibrosis

Diagnosis

• Polycythemia is diagnosed by presence of elevated red cell mass, normal arterial oxygen saturation, sple­nomegaly, and in absence of splenomegaly there is leukocytosis.

Treatment Polycythemia Vera My­elofibrosis

• Hemoglobin level should be less than 14 g/dl in men and less than 12 g/dl in women to avoid thrombotic complications.
• Periodic phlebotomy (section of vein to drain blood to reduce red cell mass and hyperviscos­ity) is done at 3-month intervals till iron defi­ciency occurs.
• Chemotherapy is not indicated.