Polycythemia Vera symptoms usually develop slowly over many years. Often, the disorder is found incidentally on a blood test as part of a routine exam before noticeable symptoms occur. Occasionally, affected individuals may report vague, nonspecific symptoms that eventually lead to diagnosis of the disorder.
Many individuals with polycythemia vera slowly development a variety of general, nonspecific symptoms that are common to many disorders such as headaches, fatigue, weakness, dizziness, excessive sweating especially at night, and itchy skin that, in severe cases, may be worse after taking a shower or a warm bath. Additional symptoms may occur in some affected individuals including blurred vision, ringing in the ears (tinnitus), and abnormal redness of the skin especially on the face.
Eventually, the spleen becomes involved. The spleen is an organ located in upper left part of the abdomen that filters out worn out blood cells. It often becomes abnormally enlarged in individuals with polycythemia vera as it attempts to clear a greater number of blood cells than normal – a condition called splenomegaly. Splenomegaly may cause an affected individual to have a bloated or full feeling in the abdomen. Polycythemia Vera symptoms
Less common symptoms associated with polycythemia vera include a tendency to bruise easily, frequent nosebleeds or bleeding from the gums, enlargement of the liver (hepatomegaly), and erythromelalgia, a condition characterized by a reddened or purplish appearance to the skin of the hands and feet. The skin may feel warm to the touch. Erythromelalgia can also cause a painful, burning sensation or swelling of the affected areas.
Some individuals with polycythemia vera may develop symptoms secondary to reduced blood flow (due to thickening of the blood) and abnormalities affecting the platelets, which can increase a person’s risk of developing blood clots. Complications that occur due to blood clots may be referred as thrombotic events and, in rare cases, can be the first obvious sign of polycythemia vera. Specific symptoms depend upon where a blood clot forms. A blood clot can cause a stroke, chest pain (angina), a heart attack, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or a pulmonary embolism. DVT occurs when a blood clot forms in the legs may cause the legs to become painful and swollen. A pulmonary embolism occurs when a clot forms in the lungs or when a piece of a DVT breaks off and travels through the bloodstream eventually becoming stuck in the pulmonary artery. A pulmonary embolism can cause breathlessness, a sudden pain the chest, exhaustion, or life-threatening complications such as high blood pressure of the pulmonary artery. Polycythemia Vera symptoms