Abstract

FERNANDEZ DELGADO, Norma et al. Polycythemia vera in children: Report of 3 cases. Rev Cubana Hematol Inmunol Hemoter [online]. 2006, vol.22, n.3. ISSN 0864-0289.

Polycythemia vera is a disorder of the hematopoietic progenitor cell, where the most prominent characteristic is the increase of the absolute mass of red blood cells. Its incidence in adults is approximately 2 x 100 000/year, and its appearance in childen is extremely rare. In this paper, we present 3 children of 4,8 and 14 years old, respectively, with diagnosis of polycythemia vera, one of them with Budd Chiari syndrome as the condition that led to the search of the disease. All the classical criteria established by the international group of studies of PV more than six decades ago were respected to make the diagnosis. A study of the bone marrow was conducted and the quantification of serum erythropoietin was performed

Keywords : Polycythemia vera; Budd Chiari; blood volumes; erythropoietin.