Thrombocythemia
What is thrombocythemia?
Thrombocythemia is a myeloproliferative disorder. It is characterized by the production of too many platelets in the bone marrow. Too many platelets make normal clotting of blood difficult.
What are myeloproliferative disorders?
Myeloproliferative disorders are diseases in which the bone marrow produces too many of one of the three types of blood cells:
- red blood cells, which carry oxygen to all the tissues in the body
- white blood cells, which fight infection
- platelets, which makes blood clot