Do you need chemo for polycythemia?

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asked Mar 16, 2022 in Diseases Conditions by V56ju8 (840 points)
Do you need chemo for polycythemia?

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answered Mar 16, 2022 by Chambliss (46,100 points)
Most people don't need chemo for polycythemia unless you're at risk for cancer.

Most often the treatment for polycythemia is through simple blood withdraws from your body.

The most common treatment for polychythemia vera is having frequent blood withdrawals, using a needle in a vein (phlebotomy). It's the same procedure used for donating blood.

This decreases your blood volume and reduces the number of excess blood cells.

Polycythemia is a condition that means an increase in the number of red blood cells in the body.

These extra red blood cells in the body cause the blood to be thicker, and this, in turn, increases the risk of other health issues, such as blood clots.

Polycythemia can have different causes, each of which has its own treatment options

Polycythemia vera occurs when a mutation in a gene causes a problem with blood cell production.

Normally, your body regulates the number of each of the three types of blood cells you have red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.

Hypoxia from long standing (chronic) lung disease and smoking are common causes of polycythemia.

Therefore, smoking can be a significant risk factor for polycythemia.

Chronic carbon monoxide (CO) exposure can also be a risk factor for polycythemia.

There's no cure for polycythemia vera.

Treatment focuses on reducing your risk of complications. These treatments may also ease your symptoms.

The secondary polycythemia is caused by an underlying condition, most of which are well known and have multiple treatment options available.

Once the underlying cause is corrected, symptoms of secondary polycythemia usually go away.

To diagnose PV, your doctor will perform a test called a complete blood count (CBC) to see if your number of red blood cells is higher than normal.

Your doctor may also test your blood to look for amounts of a hormone called erythropoietin.

Lower-than-normal levels of this hormone can be a sign of PV.

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.

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