This site is intended for healthcare professionals

CPD
CPD
Pro
Pro
account_circleSign in
Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Go to /pro/cpd-dashboard page

This page is worth 0.05 CPD credits. CPD dashboard

Go to /account/subscription-details page

This page is worth 0.05 CPD credits. Upgrade to Pro

Diagnostic criteria for polycythaemia vera

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Polycythaemia vera is a myeloproliferative neoplasm known to be associated with dysregulated signalling of the Janus associated kinases JAK1 and JAK2.

Recommended diagnostic criteria for PV


JAK2-positive polycythaemia vera (requires both criteria)

  • A1 High haematocrit (> 0.52 in men, > 0.48 in women) OR raised red cell mass (>25% above predicted)
  • A2 Mutation in JAK2

JAK2-negative polycythaemia vera (requires A1- A4 plus another A or two B criteria) *

  • A1 Raised red cell mass (>25% above predicted) OR haematocrit >=0.60 in men, >=0.56 in women
  • A2 Absence of mutation in JAK2
  • A3 No cause of secondary erythrocytosis
  • A4 Bone marrow histology consistent with polycythaemia vera
  • A5 Palpable splenomegaly
  • A6 Presence of an acquired genetic abnormality (excluding BCR-ABL1) in the haematopoietic cells
  • B1 Thrombocytosis (platelet count >450 x 10^9/l)
  • B2 Neutrophil leucocytosis (neutrophil count >10 x 10^9/l in non-smokers, >=12.5 x 10^9/l in smokers)
  • B3 Radiological evidence of splenomegaly
  • B4 Low serum erythropoietin

*This is a very rare clinical entity

Reference:

McMullin MF et al. A guideline for the diagnosis and management of polycythaemia vera. A British Society for Haematology Guideline.British Journal of Haematology, 2019, 184, 176-191

Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Create a free account

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.