Abstract
Essential thrombocythemia (ET) is a clonal stem cell disorder that is characterised by a persistently raised platelet count and an increased risk of venous and arterial thrombosis, as well as haemorrhage. It is an uncommon disorder, with an annual incidence of between 0.6 and 2.5 per 100,000 population, that presents at around 60 years of age, although a second peak occurs at a much younger age, especially in females of child-bearing age. Cases presenting in childhood are uncommon and the rare differential diagnosis of congenital thrombocytosis should be considered.
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The author is grateful to both Professor T.C. Pearson and Dr. Maria Messinezy for contributions to previous versions of this chapter.
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Reilly, J.T. (2013). Diagnosis and Treatment of Essential Thrombocythemia and Primary Myelofibrosis. In: Wiernik, P., Goldman, J., Dutcher, J., Kyle, R. (eds) Neoplastic Diseases of the Blood. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3764-2_12
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