what is Primary Polycythaemia

)  Primary polycythemia

n Also called : Polycythemia vera or Erythremia .

n occurs when excess red blood cells are produced as a result of an abnormality of the bone marrow (hyperplasia) . 

n The cause of hyperplasia is unknown .

* Description

n It is a rare disease that occurs more often in men than women, and is rare in patients under age 40 .

n It may be chronic and fatal .

n It occurs in 1 in 200,000 people in the United States .

n It is more common in whites, particularly Jews of European ancestry.

n It also increases leukocytes (leukocytosis) and platelets (thrombocytosis) .

n The danger from erythrocytosis is that it causes blood volume and blood viscosity to increase, along with the erythrocyte count. The liver and spleen become increasingly congested with erythrocytes as viscosity causes blood flow to slow.

n  Eventually, the thick, sticky, slow-flowing blood becomes an ideal environment for clotting and acidosis. If thrombi obstruct vessels, the result is blood deprivation of tissues and organs.