Question 1

are there certain foods that should be avoided when you have polycythemia vera?

Accepted Answer

Iron rich: Iron rich foods may help if avoided but if symptomatic treatment is advisable.

Question 2

i have polycythemia vera. what food should i eat or avoid,?

Accepted Answer

There are those: Who would encourage you to go forth with a strict organic raw food diet, like something along the lines of the Gerson diet(which also includes coffee enemas!)  But I don't think there is any strong data to suggests a "curative" diet.  But I will help to eat as healthy as you can, it may help limit further stress on your body.

Question 3

if my son has polycythemia vera, what foods should be avoided?

Accepted Answer

Same as in Gout: About 10-15% of polycythemia vera patients develop gout, a painful inflammation of certain joints (esp. The big toe) caused by precipitation of high uric acid content in the blood. Polycythemics already have a higher level of uric acid (about 50% have hyperuricemia) in their blood due to rapid turnover of red cells. It would be prudent to avoid foods that could precipitate a gouty attack.

Question 4

being tested for polycythemia vera. should i stay away from foods rich in vitamin k i?

Accepted Answer

Eat anything: Eating foods rich in vitamin k should not affect the production of red cells seen polycytemia vera. Vitamin k has more to do the coagulation process.

Question 5

why are you at risk for infection if you have polycythemia vera?

Accepted Answer

Blood cancer: P vera is a form of blood cancer and affects the bone marrow. Any disease affecting the bone marrow may interfere with the normal production of white cells and make the person prone to infections. Consult this site for more info: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/polycythemia-vera/home/ovc-20307463

Question 6

do a lot of people get polycythemia vera?

Accepted Answer

Not common: According to one study, about 65,000 people in the US have this condition, or about 22 out of every 100,000 people.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18181200.

Question 7

im a teen. how will having polycythemia vera mess up my health later in life?

Accepted Answer

No: Generally speaking, pvera dose not imapct a persons long term survival, ie when comparing a group of patients with pv to a group without, survial rates are the same.  However, pv and other myeloproliferative disorders are uncommon in your age group and i would be skeptical of the diagnosis.

Question 8

are there any two types of polycythemia vera?
please give me a clear explanation.

Accepted Answer

No: There are two types of polycythemia. Primary Polycythemia (Polycythemia Vera) is an abnormal proliferation of blood cells, leading to too many red blood cells. It is not caused by any other factor. Secondary Polycythemia is a high red cell count caused by another factor, such as being at altitude, sleep apnea, administration of erythropoietin, or several others. Hope this helps!

Question 9

would polycythemia vera cause a low rdw?

Accepted Answer

Not that I know of.: The big changes of this are elevated rbc count, hemoglobin, hematocrit, and decreased ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate).  The elevations come without decrease in volume, and can be up to 70-80% for hematocrit, and 8-9 million rbc count.  Changes in RDW may be from so many rbc's in the system, but even if they do occur, do not apparently have effect on prognosis or relevance to the cause of this.

Question 10

is polycythemia vera a type of cancer?

Accepted Answer

As below: Polycythemia vera is a type of cancer of the bone marrow where your blood cells (white/red cells, platelets are produced). It is one of the chronic myeloproliferative neoplasms where there is a clonal proliferation of myeloid cells. In PV there is an elevated red blood cell mass (RCM). This can cause high Hct &gt;= 32 in W. Also Platelet count &amp; White blood cell count could be elevated too.

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Are there certain foods that should be avoided when you have polycythemia vera

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Are there certain foods that should be avoided when you have polycythemia vera?

A member asked:

I have polycythemia vera. what food should i eat or avoid,?

A member asked:

If my son has polycythemia vera, what foods should be avoided?

A member asked:

Being tested for polycythemia vera. should i stay away from foods rich in vitamin k i?

A member asked:

Why are you at risk for infection if you have polycythemia vera?

A member asked:

Do a lot of people get polycythemia vera?

A member asked:

Im a teen. how will having polycythemia vera mess up my health later in life?

A member asked:

Are there any two types of polycythemia vera? please give me a clear explanation.

A member asked:

Would polycythemia vera cause a low rdw?

A member asked:

Is polycythemia vera a type of cancer?

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