Polycythemia vera in pregnancy represents a challenge for a multidisciplinary collaboration: A case report and literature review

Bohiltea,Roxana Elena; Niculescu‑Mizil,Emilia; Mihai,Bianca Margareta; Furtunescu,Florentina; Ducu,Ionita; Munteanu,Octavian; Georgescu,Tiberiu Augustin; Grigoriu,Corina

doi:10.3892/etm.2021.10941

Polycythemia vera in pregnancy represents a challenge for a multidisciplinary collaboration: A case report and literature review

Authors:
- Roxana Elena Bohiltea
- Emilia Niculescu‑Mizil
- Bianca Margareta Mihai
- Florentina Furtunescu
- Ionita Ducu
- Octavian Munteanu
- Tiberiu Augustin Georgescu
- Corina Grigoriu
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Affiliations: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, ‘Carol Davila’ University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020021 Bucharest, Romania, Department of Hematology, ‘Provita’ Medical Center, 011442 Bucharest, Romania, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Emergency Hospital Bucharest, 050098 Bucharest, Romania, Department of Public Health and Management, Faculty of Medicine, ‘Carol Davila’ University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050463 Bucharest, Romania, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, ‘Carol Davila’ University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050463 Bucharest, Romania
Published online on: November 1, 2021 https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2021.10941
Article Number: 19

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Abstract

Polycythemia vera (PV) is a rare chronic myeloproliferative neoplasm which represents an additional thrombotic factor in pregnancy. PV may be difficult to diagnose, particularly as its incidence is extremely uncommon among young women. The main diagnostic method involves a bone marrow biopsy, and high hemoglobin and platelet counts are usually indicative of the condition, after excluding other more frequent pathologies. PV is associated with a high risk of thrombosis, particularly in pregnancy, and requires anti‑platelet treatment. At present, only a limited number of PV cases in pregnancy have been reported in the literature, at least to the best of our knowledge, with the largest case series being a retrospective study that included 25 pregnancies in 15 women. The present study describes the case of a patient diagnosed with JAK2‑positive PV and also discusses this rare condition with particular focus on the following: i) The management of PV in pregnancy along with the additional pathologies in this specific case; and ii) the particularities of the pregnancy course. By identifying women suffering from PV superimposed by other possible procoagulant factors and applying the latest standard in healthcare, fetal and maternal prognosis may be significantly improved.

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