Patient discussions
Explain to the patient that polycythemia vera (PV) is a chronic disease that requires careful long-term monitoring and supportive treatment, and that there are currently no curative treatments.
Give advice on lifestyle modification (e.g., smoking cessation, weight control) to reduce the risk of developing symptoms, or to moderate the severity of symptoms that may already exist.
Give patients information about potential complications: thrombosis (most common); bleeding; progression to myelofibrosis; and transformation to acute leukemia (uncommon). Emphasize the importance of appropriate follow-up and the need to report any thrombotic or bleeding event immediately to their physician.
Clarify that familial cases are rare. Epidemiologic data suggest an increased risk of PV in people who have an affected family member.[43] This association may be caused by inherited genetic mutations that predispose to a PV phenotype.[44]
Use of this content is subject to our disclaimer