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- Patient Comments: Polycythemia (High Red Blood Cell Count) - Cause
- Patient Comments: Polycythemia - Experience
- Patient Comments: Polycythemia - Symptoms
- Patient Comments: Polycythemia - Treatment
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- Polycythemia facts
- What is polycythemia?
- What are normal ranges of hematocrit, red cell counts, and hemoglobin?
- What causes polycythemia?
- What are the causes of primary polycythemia?
- What are the common causes of secondary polycythemia?
- Can other sources of erythropoietin (EPO) cause polycythemia?
- What is relative polycythemia?
- What are the risk factors for polycythemia?
- What is stress polycythemia?
- What are the symptoms of polycythemia?
- When should I see a doctor about polycythemia?
- How is polycythemia diagnosed?
- What is the treatment for polycythemia?
- What are the complications of polycythemia?
- Can polycythemia be prevented?
- What is the outlook (prognosis) for polycythemia?
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Can other sources of erythropoietin (EPO) cause polycythemia?
Erythropoietin (EPO) has been made synthetically for clinical treatment of certain types of anemia. Some professional athletes have used this type of injectable EPO (blood doping) to improve their performance in competitions by producing more hemoglobin and, therefore, improving the delivery of oxygen to their tissues, mainly muscles. This type of doping practice is banned by many professional sport committees.
What is relative polycythemia?
In some forms of secondary polycythemia, the hemoglobin or red blood cell count is perceived to be abnormally high due to an increased concentration of blood. This can happen as a result of plasma volume loss from dehydration, severe vomiting or diarrhea, or excessive sweating. Polycythemia in these situations may be called relative polycythemia, because the actual numbers of red blood cells are not abnormal.
What are the risk factors for polycythemia?
- Hypoxia from long standing (chronic) lung disease and smoking are common causes of polycythemia. Therefore, smoking can be significant risk factor for polycythemia.
- Chronic carbon monoxide (CO) exposure can also be risk factor for polycythemia. Hemoglobin has a higher affinity for CO than for oxygen; therefore, as it replaces oxygen in favor of CO, polycythemia may ensue to compensate for the low oxygen carried by hemoglobin.
- Chronic carbon monoxide exposure is a risk factor for people working in underground tunnels or parking garages, cab drivers in highly polluted and congested cities, or workers in factories with exposure to engine exhaust.
- People living at high altitudes may also be at risk of developing polycythemia due to low environmental oxygen levels.
- People with genetic mutations and familial types of polycythemia and certain hemoglobin abnormalities also carry risk factors for this condition as mentioned in earlier sections.
What is stress polycythemia?
Stress polycythemia is a term applied to a chronic (long standing) state of low plasma volume which is seen commonly in active, hard working, anxious, middle-aged men. In these people, the red blood cell volume is normal, but the plasma volume is low. This condition is also known as Gaisbock's disease, stress erythrocytosis, or pseudopolycythemia.
Smoker's polycythemia is a similar condition in which increased levels of deoxygenated hemoglobin (hemoglobin that does not carry oxygen, instead carrying carbon dioxide) causes an increase in red blood cell counts.