What is a treatment for Polycythemia Vera?

What is a treatment for Polycythemia Vera?

• A. Therapeutic phlebotomy
• B. Radiation therapy
• C. Antibiotics
• D. Immunotherapy

Answer: (A)

Polycythemia Vera raises red cell mass, making blood thicker and increasing the risk of clotting. The treatment goal is to lower hematocrit and viscosity to reduce thrombotic risk. Therapeutic phlebotomy directly achieves this by removing blood and thus decreasing the red cell mass quickly. It’s a first-line approach for many patients because it has an immediate effect, is straightforward, and has low risk. The other options don’t address the underlying excess red cells in PV: radiation therapy is used for cancers or localized disease, not for PV; antibiotics target infections; immunotherapy isn’t a standard treatment for PV.

Polycythemia Vera raises red cell mass, making blood thicker and increasing the risk of clotting. The treatment goal is to lower hematocrit and viscosity to reduce thrombotic risk. Therapeutic phlebotomy directly achieves this by removing blood and thus decreasing the red cell mass quickly. It’s a first-line approach for many patients because it has an immediate effect, is straightforward, and has low risk. The other options don’t address the underlying excess red cells in PV: radiation therapy is used for cancers or localized disease, not for PV; antibiotics target infections; immunotherapy isn’t a standard treatment for PV.