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Risk factors
By Mayo Clinic staffFactors that may increase your risk of developing polycythemia vera include:
- Increasing age. The risk of polycythemia vera increases with age. It is more common in adults older than 60, and it's rare in people younger than 20.
- Being male. Polycythemia vera affects men more often than women.
- Having a family history of polycythemia vera. Having close relatives with polycythemia vera may increase your risk of the disease.
References
- Hoffman R, et al. The polycythemias. In: Hoffman R, et al. Hematology: Basic Principles and Practice. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/about.do?about=true&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-443-06715-0..X5001-8--TOP&isbn=978-0-443-06715-0&uniqId=230100505-56. Accessed March 1, 2011.
- Polycythemia vera. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/poly/poly_whatis.html. Accessed March 1, 2011.
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