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Chapter 11 - Polycythemia and Hyperviscosity in the Newborn

from Section III - Erythrocyte Disorders

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 January 2021

By
Ted S. Rosenkrantz  and
William Oh
Edited by
Pedro A. de Alarcón ,
Eric J. Werner ,
Robert D. Christensen  and
Martha C. Sola-Visner
Pedro A. de Alarcón
Affiliation:
University of Illinois College of Medicine
Eric J. Werner
Affiliation:
Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters
Robert D. Christensen
Affiliation:
University of Utah
Martha C. Sola-Visner
Affiliation:
Harvard University, Massachusetts
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Summary

Polycythemia of the newborn is first mentioned in the Bible as Esau and Jacob are described at the time of their birth. Esau appears to be the recipient of a twin-to-twin transfusion (Genesis 25:25: “The first one emerged red …”). There is little in the modern medical literature concerning polycythemia in the newborn until the early 1970s [1–5]. During this time, there were a number of case reports and small series of infants with various symptoms that were thought to be secondary to an elevated hematocrit and blood viscosity. It was not until the 1980s that several investigators systematically examined the association between polycythemia, hyperviscosity of the blood, and organ-system dysfunction. These studies have done much to enlighten our understanding of the relationships between abnormalities of the hematocrit, blood viscosity, organ blood flow, and organ function. The dissemination of this knowledge has provided a clinical approach that is based on well-defined data and has clarified the role of polycythemia as an etiologic factor for organ dysfunction in the neonate.

Type
Chapter
Information
Neonatal Hematology
Pathogenesis, Diagnosis, and Management of Hematologic Problems
 , pp. 185 - 200
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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