Causes, symptoms and treatment of polycythemia

What is polycythemia?

Polycythemia is the condition of the human body associated with a pathological increase in the number of erythrocytes and level of hemoglobin in the blood to 6 T/l and 170 g/l (and more), respectively. Polycythemia – this is an indicator of disease, but not a disease as such.

Most often this condition is treated with the adaptation position and is one of the functions of an organism at a particular pathophysiological process. In some cases, polycythemia is a manifestation of hypoxia chronic in its course or treatment.

Causes of polycythemia

The occurrence of polycythemia are some reasons, which depend on the varieties of this disease. In this state emit relative and true form. Relative polycythemia is characterized by a large number of erythrocytes per unit volume of blood, wherein the blood plasma is greatly reduced. The number of erythrocytes remains unchanged.

Relative polycythemia occurs for the following reasons:

• the body loses a large amount of fluid, but can not fill fully;

• stressful situation;

• hypertensive crises;

• different stages of obesity.

Under a true polycythemia understand the increase in the number of red blood cells due to their intense appearance in the bone marrow.

The emergence of absolute polycythemia are some reasons:

• Genetics. Changes at the enzymatic level, the composition of the erythrocyte, responsible for the accession and impact of oxygen. The lack of oxygen in tissues and organs triggers increase red blood cells in the bone marrow.
• Hypoxic changes. High hemoglobin levels due to exposure to carbon monoxide (most often occurs in smokers), respiratory diseases, Pickwick syndrome and heart defects lead to similar condition.
• The high performance formulation of erythropoietin – stimulate formation of red blood cells, resulting from kidney disease (renal cysts, hydronephrosis, vaginal cancer) and malignant tumors (pheochromocytoma, hepatoma, pituitary adenoma, hemangioblastoma of the cerebellum).

Symptoms of polycythemia

The symptoms of polycythemia depend on the stage of occurrence of the pathological state.

The first (initial) stage corresponds to moderate polycythemia blood the following symptoms:

• appearance panmyelosis in the red bone marrow;
• the absence of vascular and visceral complications;
• a slight enlargement of the spleen, are not amenable to palpation.

This stage can occur for a long time, for several years.

Next is the proliferative (expanded) stage, which is marked by the following symptoms:

• the plethora of pronounced character;
• the emergence of hepatosplenomegaly;
• recurrent thrombosis;
• exhaustion;
• the growth of cells-basophils;
• increased concentration of uric acid in the blood serum.

At this stage, and is diagnosed with polycythemia.

The next stage is anemic, is a stage of depletion when:

• the liver and spleen grow in size;
• in the blood is increasing the saturation pancytopenia;
• in the red bone marrow with marked lesions myelofibrosis.

All symptoms of the underlying disease in patients with established polycythemia observed:

• special crimson cyanosis;

• dizzinessup to fainting state;

• headaches;

• nosebleeds;
• frequent thrombotic complications.

Primary and secondary polycythemia

The etiology of polycythemia divides them into primary, or hereditary, and secondary, i.e. acquired.

Secondary polycythemia is characteristic of various diseases of somatic nature and has a very diverse clinical picture. Complete blood count usually reveals raised indices red blood cell is moderate or significant. Leukocytes and platelets into the normal range.

In that case, if the result of inspection of the patient excluded the presence of secondary polycythemia, talking about hereditary nature of the pathological condition.

Primary polycythemia is most often diagnosed in children and adolescents. Diseasehas some features:

• change the color of the face, or red cyanosis;
• a blood test detects raised indices of red blood cells, hemoglobin and hematocrit;
• the number of leukocytes and platelets is located on the borders of the norm;
• blood viscosity increased due to the overfilling of the blood vessels;
• blood flow in vessels slows down.

In the absence of treatment of polycythemia this kind of possible cardiovascular complications, especially coagulation factors, leading to the formation of thrombosis.

Treatment of polycythemia

The main objective of the treatment of polycythemia is removal of excess, redundant occurs of red blood cells by reducing the viscosity of blood. In therapy using complex of methods with the use of drugs. If polycythemia is associated with diseases of the respiratory or cardiovascular system, is treated in the first place, the underlying disease. The first rule of fight polycythemia - the elimination of the causes of the pathological state.

Hypoxic polycythemia requires therapeutic interventions with oxygen. Vascular shunts are treated with surgical intervention.

Smoking patients first and main recommendation is the rejection of harmful habits. Excess body weight is eliminated due to the strict diet.

In exceptional cases when it is impossible to establish the root cause of polycythemia, it is necessary to assess real threats and the likelihood of undesirable consequences and complications.

Common is this method of treatment, such as bloodletting. However, it requires caution in diseases such as chronic pulmonary obstruction, heart disease of various origins. Similar diseases associated with polycythemia, allow the techniques of phlebotomy. The volume of blood during such procedures should not exceed 200 ml weekly if hematocrit not lower than 50%. The hematocrit from 50 to 60% is a relative indication for bloodletting, and 60% threshold is a clear indication for such procedure.

At the polycythemia of any kind do not conduct therapy using cytostatic drugs. The treatment also eliminates the intake of vitamin complexes. Forecast of development of pathological conditions and full recovery depends on the underlying disease.

Clinical analysis of blood allows you to define many different indicators, including developing polycythemia. An experienced doctor will be able to assess the condition of the organs of hematopoiesis and the functioning of the organs and systems of the human body that is the result of this analysis. Proper and timely treatment will allow to avoid serious complications and improve normal functioning of the circulatory system.