Essential thrombocythemia
In hematology, essential thrombocythemia (ET) is a rare chronic blood cancer (myeloproliferative neoplasm) characterised by the overproduction of platelets (thrombocytes) by megakaryocytes in the bone marrow. It may, albeit rarely, develop into acute myeloid leukemia or myelofibrosis. It is one of the blood cancers wherein the bone marrow produces too many white or red blood cells, or platelets.
| Essential thrombocythemia | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Essential thrombocythaemia, essential thrombocytosis, primary thrombocytosis |
| Histopathological image representing a bone marrow aspirate in a patient with essential thrombocythemia. | |
| Specialty | Hematology |
| Symptoms | Fatigue, insomnia, migraines, headache, and dizziness. |
| Complications | Thrombosis, transient ischemic attack, acute coronary syndrome, Budd-Chiari syndrome. |
| Causes | Overproduction of hematopoietic cells, genetic mutations. |
| Diagnostic method | Clinical criteria. |
| Differential diagnosis | Chronic myelogenous leukemia, myelodysplastic syndrome, polycythemia vera, primary myelofibrosis, secondary thrombocytosis. |
| Treatment | Low-dose aspirin, plateletpheresis, cytoreductive therapy. |
| Prognosis | Median survival is 18 years. |
| Frequency | 0.6-2.5/100,000 cases per year. |
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