Can I take hydroxyurea for essential thrombocythemia at 25?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am 25 years old. I have been diagnosed with essential thrombocythemia. The reasons are elevated platelet count (about 700,000 to 900,000 platelets per microliter of blood), positive JAK2 V617F mutation analysis, etc. Different opinions are coming from doctors in my country. Avoiding details, some advise me to take Hydroxyurea, some say that Hydroxyurea is unacceptable for guys of my age because of hard side effects, and some advise me to take Interferon alpha. Some say that I should not take any medicines and exclude disaggregates and that I should just monitor platelet count to be lower than 1,000,000 and some other indicators.

Kindly advise.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I can understand the situation through which you are going. I have reviewed your query and below is my advice for your case. Usually, in the case of essential thrombocythemia, there is no need to undergo treatment with Hydroxyurea in all cases of ET (essential thrombocytopenia). It is a myeloproliferative neoplasm and the chance of acute myeloid leukemia is less in such cases. In the young age group people usually there is no need for starting Hydroxyurea. You need to check your blood pressure, sugar level, and cholesterol value to decide further regarding treatment. It is advisable to maintain a healthy lifestyle and take more green leafy vegetables. Regular exercise is advisable in such cases to prevent clot formation. Smoking should be avoided strictly. In such a high platelet count to reduce clot formation in the blood, you may need to give Aspirin in a low dose which you are taking. You can continue Aspirin and maintain a healthy lifestyle with active exercise.