Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of hemostastic complications in young patients with essential thrombocythemia (ET).
Patients and methods: The clinical course of 44 patients under the age of 45 with the diagnosis of ET was reviewed in a retrospective manner. Patients were collected from three medical centers in the United States and Italy: the Brigham and Women's Hospital and the Harvard Community Health Plan, Boston, Massachusetts, and the Ospedali Riuniti di Bergamo, Bergamo, Italy.
Results: The overall incidence of hemorrhage or thrombosis, or both, in this group of patients was 39% (17 of 44), with serious complications occurring in 23% (10 of 44). Two patients died of thrombotic events. Neither the presence of symptoms at diagnosis nor any single laboratory parameter proved predictive of clinical sequelae. Treatment with antiplatelet drugs or platelet-lowering agents was not protective.
Conclusion: We conclude that ET in young patients may result in serious and life-threatening hemostatic problems and consequently that young age is not a favorable prognostic factor in this disease.