What Is Polycythemia Vera (PV) ?
Polycythemia vera (PV), or Polycythemia rubra vera, is one of the myeloproliferative disorders (MPD). In this variant, there is uncontrolled production of mature red cells leading to an increase in the red cell mass, resulting in abnormally high hematocrit (Hct) and hemoglobin (Hg). This causes an increase in blood volume and viscosity which can lead to complications involving thrombosis, eg heart attack, strokes, or other clotting or bleeding episodes, if not controlled. The MPDs also include essential thrombocythemia (ET), agnogenic myeloid metaplasia (AMM), also known as idiopathic myelofibrosis (IMF), secondary myelofibrosis (MF) following PV or ET, and chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). Each of these variants have predominant features which permit classifications which are named for the cell type showing the most marked involvement. There is a great deal of overlap in the features of these various syndromes and transition from one to another is common. This is discussed in greate
Polycythemia Vera (PV) is a rare blood disorder in which the number of red blood cells increases in the body. This increase of blood cell have many reasons, it could be due to a primary process in the bone marrow also known as Myeloproliferative Syndrome, or it may be due to low Oxygen levels or, rarely, a malignancy. This increase in red blood cell makes blood thicker and and blood moves slowly through the body. The thick, slow-flowing blood can form clots, which is a major complication of PV since it can lead to heart attack or stroke.
