Search results
Here you can find out what some of the most common medical abbreviations mean. This may be useful if you want to understand your health records. An abbreviation is a short way of writing a longer word or phrase.
Feb 8, 2024 · We’ve curated a list of medical abbreviations/acronyms to help you understand entries in the medical notes. Remember, using ambiguous abbreviations increases the risk of miscommunication. Your hospital may have an approved list of abbreviations.
The main discussion of these abbreviations in the context of drug prescriptions and other medical prescriptions is at List of abbreviations used in medical prescriptions. Some of these abbreviations are best not used, as marked and explained here. Abbrev. Meaning. Latin (or Neo-Latin) origin.
- Overview
- Symptoms and Causes
- Diagnosis and Tests
- Management and Treatment
- Outlook / Prognosis
- Living With
Polycythemia vera is a type of chronic leukemia (blood cancer) that causes your bone marrow to produce too many red blood cells. It progresses very slowly and often isn’t diagnosed until after the age of 60. Most people manage symptoms well for many years. The biggest risk from too many red blood cells is blood clots.
Contents
Arrow Down
OverviewSymptoms and CausesDiagnosis and TestsManagement and TreatmentOutlook / PrognosisLiving With
Contents
Arrow Down
What are the symptoms of polycythemia vera?
Symptoms usually develop slowly over time, if they appear at all. They often begin with the kind of vague complaints that are common to many disorders, including: Headaches. Dizziness. Fatigue. High blood pressure. Blurred or double vision. Tinnitus (ringing in your ears). Eventually, some more curious symptoms may develop, including: Excessive sweating, especially at night. Shortness of breath, especially when lying down. Itchy skin, especially after a warm bath or shower. Redness, heat, tingling or burning in your hands and feet. Excessive bleeding or bruising. Nosebleeds and gum bleeding. Unexplained weight loss. If PV progresses to a secondary condition, you may experience symptoms of that condition. For example:
What causes polycythemia vera?
Polycythemia vera occurs in your bone marrow, the soft, spongy material at the center of your bones. This is where new blood cells grow. PV begins when a single gene within a single stem cell in the bone marrow malfunctions. More than 90% of the time, it’s a gene called JAK2. The mutated gene gives instructions to the stem cell to continually reproduce itself. All of the reproduced cells also continue to reproduce, until the abnormal cells crowd out the normal cells in your bone marrow. Most of the time, the JAK2 gene mutation is acquired, which means it isn’t inherited from a family member. It occurs for unknown reasons sometime during your life. But there have been a few documented cases of multiple family members developing polycythemia vera.
How is polycythemia vera diagnosed?
The World Health Organization (WHO) requires three separate criteria to diagnose polycythemia vera:
How is polycythemia vera treated?
In the early stages, PV is treated conservatively. Typical treatments include:
What is the life expectancy for someone with polycythemia vera?
Recent studies estimate the average life expectancy after diagnosis with polycythemia vera to be about 20 years. The average age of death is about 77. The most common cause of death is complications from blood clots (about 33%). Advancing cancer is the second most common cause (15%).
How can I take care of myself and manage my symptoms?
If you’re living with polycythemia vera, it’s important to keep in touch with your healthcare provider so they can keep track of how your condition is progressing. Let them know how you’re responding to treatment and if you’re experiencing any side effects. You may continue living a long time without severe symptoms. In addition to regular testing and treatment, your healthcare provider will likely recommend general lifestyle changes to help prevent blood clots and other complications. For example: Exercise. Even moderate exercise can help improve sluggish circulation. Avoid smoking. Smoking causes your blood vessels to narrow. Avoid low-oxygen environments. High altitudes can reduce oxygen levels in your blood. Keep your blood pressure in check. Maintaining a healthy body weight can help with this. A note from Cleveland Clinic Polycythemia vera (PV) is a kind of cancer, but most people continue living well for decades after diagnosis. It qualifies as a cancer because it involves uncontrolled cell production. However, it takes a long time for uncontrolled production of red blood cells to begin affecting you. And when they do, you can manage your condition for a long time by simply having some of your extra blood drawn. The most significant threat from polycythemia vera isn’t from cancer itself, but from the risk of blood clots. If you’re living with PV, make sure to see your healthcare provider regularly. And don’t neglect taking care of yourself in the “little ways” — healthy lifestyle habits that can help maintain your general cardiovascular health, which might turn out to be just as important as any medical treatment for polycythemia vera. Medically Reviewed Last reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional on 04/25/2022. Learn more about our editorial process.
This is a list of abbreviations used in medical prescriptions, including hospital orders (the patient-directed part of which is referred to as sig codes). This list does not include abbreviations for pharmaceuticals or drug name suffixes such as CD, CR, ER, XT (See Time release technology § List of abbreviations for those).
PV in Medical commonly stands for Per Vagina, a term used to describe the route of administration for certain medical procedures or treatments. This abbreviation is crucial in contexts involving gynecology and reproductive health.
People also ask
What does PV mean in medical?
What is polycythemia vera (PV)?
How do you know if you have PV?
What is the difference between PV and MDS?
How long does PV last?
Can PV cause a bloated spleen?
Feb 26, 2024 · Polycythemia vera (PV) is a rare disorder that affects blood cell and platelet production. The early stages of polycythemia vera often cause nonspecific symptoms, but advanced stages can lead...
