What causes the bone marrow to make too many red blood cells?

Overview. Polycythemia vera

Polycythemia vera

Polycythemia vera is an uncommon myeloproliferative neoplasm in which the bone marrow makes too many red blood cells. It may also result in the overproduction of white blood cells and platelets. Polycythemia vera. Other names.

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Polycythemia vera - Wikipedia

(pol-e-sy-THEE-me-uh VEER-uh) is a type of blood cancer. It causes your bone marrow to make too many red blood cells. These excess cells thicken your blood, slowing its flow, which may cause serious problems, such as blood clots.

What causes bone marrow to produce too many red blood cells?

It's usually caused by a change in the JAK2 gene, which causes the bone marrow cells to produce too many red blood cells. The affected bone marrow cells can also develop into other cells found in the blood, which means that people with PV may also have abnormally high numbers of both platelets and white bloods cells.

What condition causes too many red blood cells?

What is polycythemia vera? Polycythemia vera is a rare blood disorder in which there is an increase in all blood cells, particularly red blood cells. The increase in blood cells makes your blood thicker. This can lead to strokes or tissue and organ damage.

How do you fix too many red blood cells?

Treatment may include a phlebotomy. In this treatment, some of your blood is removed to help keep the number of red blood cells down and lower the risk of blood clots. Treatment may also include a medicine that keeps the bone marrow from making too many red blood cells or to help reduce the risk of blood clots.

What is the life expectancy of someone with polycythemia vera?

According to an article in Blood Cancer Journal, the median survival time for people with PV is 14 years after diagnosis. The authors take this survival time from a study in which half of the participants were still alive 14 years after diagnosis.

Can my bone marrow return to normal and produce its own red blood cells?

What is the most common cause of high red blood cell count?

High red blood cell count may be caused by low oxygen levels, kidney disease or other problems.

What cancers cause high red blood cell count?

Can polycythemia go away?

There's no cure for polycythemia vera. Treatment focuses on reducing your risk of complications. These treatments may also ease your symptoms.

What are the symptoms of high red blood cell count?

What are two conditions that cause polycythemia?

The most common causes of secondary polycythemia include obstructive sleep apnea, obesity hypoventilation syndrome, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Other causes include testosterone replacement therapy and heavy cigarette smoking.

Can polycythemia turn into leukemia?

In rare cases, polycythemia vera may eventually progress into a form of leukemia known as acute myeloid leukemia.

How is secondary polycythemia treated?

Treating Secondary Polycythemia

Correcting or eliminating the cause of secondary polycythemia is the most important aim of treating blood-related abnormalities. For this, doctors may use phlebotomy (blood-letting) or symptom relief. ‌Phlebotomy is used to reduce the number of red blood cells in plasma.

Does having high red blood cells make you tired?

Symptoms of a high red blood cell count include headache and fatigue. Polycythemia means increased red blood cell volume. Polycythemia is divided into two main categories; primary and secondary. Polycythemia can be linked to secondary causes, such as chronic hypoxia or tumors releasing erythropoietin.

What does polycythemia feel like?

Some people might develop vague symptoms such as headache, dizziness, fatigue and blurred vision. More-specific symptoms of polycythemia vera include: Itchiness, especially after a warm bath or shower. Numbness, tingling, burning, or weakness in your hands, feet, arms or legs.

What does it mean if you have high red blood cells?

A high red blood cell count can be a sign of: Dehydration. Heart disease. Polycythemia vera, a bone marrow disease that causes too many red blood cells to be made.

What foods to avoid if you have polycythemia?

Avoid refined foods, such as white processed sugar, bread and junk food to control inflammation as they may contain high-fat content and can increase chances of blood thickening. Avoid red meat completely and choose lean meats like chicken, cold-water fish (in moderation), pulses and beans, nuts and seeds for protein.

How fast does polycythemia vera progress?

One study shows that anywhere from 2% to 14% of the time, polycythemia vera changes into AML within 10 years. In this disease, stem cells in your bone marrow turn into unhealthy blood cells, including white blood cells called myeloblasts. These cells grow out of control, crowding out healthy blood cells.

Does polycythemia cause weight loss?

Double or blurred vision and blind spots. Itching all over (especially after a warm bath), reddened face, and a burning feeling on your skin (especially your hands and feet) Bleeding from your gums and heavy bleeding from small cuts. Unexplained weight loss.

How does leukemia start?

Leukemia starts when the DNA of a single cell in your bone marrow changes (mutates). DNA is the “instruction code” that tells a cell when to grow, how to develop and when to die. Because of the mutation, or coding error, leukemia cells keep multiplying.

Can polycythemia cause leg pain?

PV causes blood to be thicker than normal due to high levels of red blood cells and platelets. If you have PV and leg pain, a clot may be the cause. A high red blood cell count makes blood thicker so it flows less efficiently.

Is polycythemia the same as polycythemia vera?

Polycythemia, also called erythrocytosis, refers to an increase in red blood cell mass, noted on laboratory evaluation as increased hemoglobin and hematocrit levels. Polycythemia vera is a subtype of polycythemia and is associated with the overproduction of all 3 cell lines.

Can thyroid problems cause high red blood cell count?

Kawa MP and et al in 2010 reported that RBC, HB and HCT in patients with hyperthyroidism were significantly higher than control groups while RBC and HB were decreased in hypothyroidism, while HCT was increased.

Does aspirin lower red blood cell count?

RESULTS: Acute or chronic doses of aspirin reduced the RBC count, hemoglobin and other red cell indices as compared to controls.

Can diabetes cause high red blood cell count?

The studied cohort matched the general characteristics of Saudi type 2 diabetic patients. Results: This study shows that hyperglycemia increases the red blood cells count, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC).

Can too many red blood cells cause shortness of breath?

Due to the excess red blood cells, though, some people may eventually develop skin itchiness and redness, headaches, dizziness, shortness of breath, and numbness, tingling, burning or weakness in their hands, feet, arms or legs.