Polycythemia Vera : Symptoms, Causes and Complication

Divya Tripathi

, Health A2Z

Polycythemia vera is a type of cancer, well, you can say that it is a slow-growing blood cancer. While dealing with it your bone marrow generates too many RBCs. These extra red blood cells thicken your blood and let it flow slowly. There are complications of the disease too like blood clotting, which can lead to a heart attack or stroke.

 

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Usually, it is not so common among individuals. It develops slowly, and you might have it for years without knowing. Often the condition is found during a blood test done for another reason.

 

What are the Symptoms of Polycythemia Vera?

 

Some individuals who are having this condition may don’t have signs or symptoms. But some others might have:

 

 

  • Itchiness

 

 

  • Dizziness

 

  • Bleeding or bruising

 

  • Weakness

 

  • Fatigue

 

  • Blurred vision

 

  • Excessive sweating

 

  • Painful swelling of one joint

 

  • Shortness of breath

 

  • Numbness

 

  • Tingling, burning or weakness in a different part of your body including hands, feet, arms or legs.

 

  • A feeling of fullness or bloating

 

  • Fevers

 

  • Unexplained weight loss

 

General Physician in Noida can treat such kind of health issues and can guide you about the ways to handle and manage your health.

 

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What are the Causes of Polycythemia Vera?

 

It is one of a group of blood cancers like myeloproliferative neoplasms. It occurs when a mutation in some specific gene causes a problem in blood cell production. Generally, your body regulates the number of each of the three types of blood cells you have which are RBC, WBC, and platelets. But in polycythemia vera, your bone marrow creates too many blood cells of some blood cells.

 

 

Polycythemia vera which is caused by the mutation affects a protein switch that tells the cells to grow. Specifically, it’s a mutation in the protein Janus kinase 2 (JAK2). This mutation is common in the people who are dealing with this condition. The cause of the mutation isn’t clear yet, but in general, it is not inherited.

 

What are the Complications of Polycythemia Vera?

 

Possible complications of the condition include:

 

Blood clots. Decreased blood flow and increased blood thickness, along with the abnormalities in your platelets, increase the risk of blood clots. Blood clots can lead to a heart attack, a stroke, or a blockage of an artery in your lungs or it can also lead in a vein deep within a muscle.

 

Enlarged Spleen. The spleen is responsible for your body to fight infection and filter unwanted material, like old or damaged blood cells. The increased number of blood cells can lead to polycythemia vera which causes your spleen to work harder than usual, which causes it to enlarge.

 

Problem due to high levels of RBCs. The higher number of RBCs or red blood cells can cause various complications, including open sores on the upper small intestine or esophagus, inside lining of your stomach, and inflammation in your joints (gout).

 

Other Blood Disorders. It is rare, but polycythemia vera can lead to other blood disorders too, which include a progressive disease in the bone marrow is replaced with scar tissue (myelofibrosis), a situation where stem cells don’t function properly or mature(myelodysplastic syndrome), or cancer of the blood and bone marrow (acute leukemia).

 

Conclusion:

 

Here, we have discussed polycythemia vera, well this disease is not so common among individuals but if you find any symptoms of the same then don’t ignore it. To get an instant appointment or consultation regarding Polycythemia Vera treatment, you can contact us on Whatsapp (+91 9654030724) or email us at connect@gomedii.com, regarding our services. Our team will get back to you as soon as possible.

 

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