POLYCYTHEMIA

5 POLYCYTHEMIA

Shannon Jones Hostetter, Claire B. Andreasen

1 Define polycythemia, and explain the difference between relative and absolute polycythemia.

Polycythemia is defined as an increase in the hematocrit, erythrocyte count, and hemoglobin concentration.

In relative polycythemia, total erythrocyte mass is normal but appears to increase.

In absolute polycythemia, increased erythrocyte production results in a true expansion of the total erythrocyte mass.

2 What are the two types of absolute polycythemia?

Absolute polycythemia can be further divided into primary absolute polycythemia (normal to decreased erythropoietin levels) and secondary absolute polycythemia (increased erythropoietin levels).

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Tags: Veterinary Clinical Pathology Secrets

Aug 26, 2016 | Posted by admin in INTERNAL MEDICINE | Comments Off

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