[Postpolycythemic myeloid metaplasia in patients with polycythemia vera]

This study group comprised 58 patients with polycythemia vera. A retrospective study included 23/58 (39.60%) patients treated from 1968 to 1987, while a prospective study included 35/58 (60.34%) patients. Over the period 1986.-1996., 19/58 (32.76%) patients died: 10/23 (43.48%) from the retrospective group where mean disease duration was 12.7 years (6-24), and 9/35 (25.71%) from the prospective group where mean disease duration was 2.22 years (1-4). Erythrocytic phase of the disease was established in 50/58 (86.21%) patients; in 2/58 (3.45%) patients phase of spent hematopoiesis and postpolycythemic myeloid metaplasia in 6/58 (10.34%) patients. Postpolycythemic myeloid metaplasia has occurred after a mean time of 10.33 years (6-15) from establishing the first polycythemia. Two patients (10.53%) with postpolycythemic myeloid metaplasia died, one immediately after the diagnosis was established, the other patient two years after establishing the diagnosis. 16/19 (84.21%) patients died during the erythrocytic phase of the polycythemia vera, while 1/19 (5.26%) patient died in the phase of spent hematopoiesis. In regard to alive patients postpolycythemia myeloid metaplasia has been established in 4/39 (10.26%) patients, the phase of spent hematopoiesis in 1/39 (2.56%), while 34/39 (87.18%) patients are in the erythrocytic phase.