Understanding Essential Thrombocytosis: Causes, Symptoms, and Management

Explore Over 11,000+ Conditions, Medications, and Symptoms.

Get a personalized feed by signing up for free.

All Conditions

Essential Thrombocytosis

by Alike Medical Team ∙ Updated on June 13, 2023

General

Essential Thrombocytosis is a chronic rare disorder in which there is an overproduction of platelets. It is seen typically in people over age 60, and it is more common in women. The cause for this disorder is unclear, there has been found a gene in most of the people who have the disease. Complications have to do with hyper coagability may include strokes, heart attack, bone marrow problems including leukemia and pregnancy complications.

35 people with Essential Thrombocytosis are on Alike.

"Alike is the place to get answers from people who firsthand share your health challenges"

Signs & symptoms

People with essential thrombocytosis may not have any symptoms. Symptoms of essential thrombocytopenia may include headache, dizziness, lightheadedness, chest pain, fainting, temporary vision changes, changes in sensation in the extremities, including numbness,tingling, redness and burning. In rare cases essential thrombocytopenia may also cause bleeding from the nose, gums, or gastrointestinal tract.

Diagnosis

Essential Thrombocytosis is diagnosed when there is a platelet count of over 450,000 platelets per microliter of blood. Diagnosis includes blood work,and a bone marrow aspiration or biopsy.

Treatment

Treatment for essential thrombocytosis depends on the risk for blood clots or bleeding episodes. People under the age of 60 with no symptoms may only need periodic follow ups. Others may need to take medications such as hydroxyurea- to decrease the chances for developing leukemia, anagrelide and interferon alfa. In case of a medical emergency, plateletpheresis may be done.

Note

☝ We provide information on prescription and over-the-counter medicines, diagnosis, procedures and lab tests. This material is provided for educational purposes only and is not medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

National Institutes of Health ∙ World Health Organization ∙ MedlinePluse ∙ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

☝ All information has been reviewed by certified physicians from Alike

Latest Discussions

Bear202

My Experience with Colon Resection Surgery

Raina.8

Nervous for Hematology Appointment

Raina.8

Dealing with Medical Anxiety: Waiting for a Specialist...

Anah

Dealing with Clotting Episodes: How Are You Coping?

Essent

Hydroxyurea and Elevated Liver Enzymes

Sillygoose47

They have both full spectrum (has thc) and no **thc**

Alike Wisdom

Instantly get answers to medical questions with our AI, built from the collective wisdom of our community facing similar experiences