Polycythemia vera and idiopathic erythrocytosis: comparison of clinical and laboratory parameters.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the various clinical and laboratory parameters of Polycythemia vera and idiopathic erythrocytosis in order to differentiate between two entities at the Aga Khan University Hospital. METHODS Twenty six patients of polycythemia vera and 34 patients of idiopathic erythrocytosis were analyzed with respect to clinical features and laboratory findings. RESULTS Patients with idiopathic erythrocytosis were males with a mean age of 41 years and no splenomegaly. Patients with polycythemia were older males and females with splenomegaly, red cell count of mor than 6.5 million/cmm, haematocrit 55%, leucocytosis, thrombocytosis and low erythropoietin level. CONCLUSION Based on the above-mentioned findings, we suggest that polycythemia vera and idiopathic erythrocytosis are separate entities and the diagnosis of these can be made on the basis of clinical and laboratory parameters.