Category: Myeloproliferative neoplasms

While the name can be confusing, it's a critical distinction in diagnosis: only essential thrombocythemia (ET) is a myeloproliferative disorder, a type of chronic blood cancer, whereas reactive thrombocytosis is not. Essential thrombocythemia affects approximately 1 to 24 per million people worldwide, highlighting its rarity.

A common misconception about essential thrombocythemia (ET) is that its elevated platelet count only poses a risk for blood clots. In reality, this blood disorder can also cause paradoxical bleeding, particularly in patients with extremely high platelet levels.

Essential thrombocythemia (ET) is a rare blood cancer where the body's bone marrow produces too many platelets, and it primarily arises from acquired, not inherited, genetic mutations. To understand **how does a person get essential thrombocythemia?**, one must delve into the specific genetic changes affecting bone marrow stem cells.

Essential thrombocythemia (ET) is a rare chronic blood disorder, classified as a myeloproliferative neoplasm, where abnormal stem cells in the bone marrow produce too many platelets. This excess platelet production is the key feature of this specific type of bone marrow disease that causes high platelets.