[Essential thrombocythemia in pregnancy. A case report and general considerations]

Essential thrombocythemia is a rare disease of unknown etiology characterized by an abnormal increase in the platelet count which cannot be explained by other identifiable causes such as malignancy, infection, chronic inflammatory diseases or other myeloproliferative disorders. It rarely affects people less than 50 years of age and may be associated with hemorrhagic or thrombotic tendencies. A care of pregnancy complicated by essential thrombocythemia treated with aspirin, antiaggregating agent, throughout pregnancy and with hydroxyurea, a platelet lowering drug is reported. Also examine are some pathogenetic and therapeutic aspects of the thrombotic tendency secondary to elevated platelet count in pregnancy.