Clinical Diagnosis · Haematological System · Medium

Polycythaemia

Meaning: An abnormally high concentration of red blood cells, making the blood thicker.

In practice: Polycythaemia vera was diagnosed after a raised haematocrit and JAK2 mutation.

Word parts

Many medical words are built from Greek and Latin parts like these, so learning a few helps you work out new terms.

Two questions on related clinical diagnosis words.

Which word means: An area of dead tissue caused by loss of blood supply.

Which word means: Loss of vision without an obvious lesion of the eye itself, often temporary and caused by reduced blood flow.

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