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Polycythemia vera

• Overview
• Symptoms
• Treatment

Alternative Names:

Primary polycythemia; Polycythemia rubra vera; Myeloproliferative disorder; Erythremia; Splenomegalic polycythemia; Vaquez's disease; Osler's disease; Polycythemia with chronic cyanosis - Myelopathic polycythemia; Erythrocytosis megalosplenica; Cryptogenic polycythemia

Symptoms:

• Headache
• Dizziness
• Itchiness , especially following a warm bath
• Fullness in the left upper abdomen
• Red coloration, especially of the face
• Shortness of breath
• Breathing difficulty when lying down
• Symptoms of phlebitis

Note: Symptoms are due to increased blood viscosity (thickness) and clotting.

Additional symptoms that may be associated with this disease:

• Vision abnormalities
• Skin spots, red
• Bluish skin discoloration
• Fatigue

Signs and tests:

• A CBC with differential
• Hematocrit , elevated
• White blood count , elevated
• Platelet count , elevated
• Bone marrow biopsy
• Vitamin B-12 level
• Chemistry panel
• Blood volume, increased

This disease may also alter the results of the following tests:

• Lactate dehydrogenase
• Urinalysis
• Serum uric acid
• TIBC
• RBC count
• Platelet aggregation test
• Leukocyte alkaline phosphatase
• Hemoglobin
• ESR
• Erythropoietin

• Review Date: 10/31/2005
• Reviewed By: William Matsui, M.D., Assistant Professor of Oncology, Division of Hematologic Malignancies, The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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