Once the acute erythrocytosis has been reduced to acceptable levels - PCV less than 0.49 for males and 0.45 for females - maintenance treatment must be considered.
Venesection at six-monthly intervals suffices in most patients; a minority require venesection monthly or even more frequently. It is the latter group who should be considered for anti-myeloproliferative drug treatment as they have a high risk of thrombosis in the first 5-7 years after diagnosis.
The following measures might also be considered:
Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.