Two cases of pediatric essential thrombocythemia managed effectively with hydroxyurea.
Thrombocytosis is common in infancy and childhood. Essential thrombocythemia (ET), a myeloproliferative disorder, is a much less common cause of thrombocytosis in childhood. We report two cases of essential thrombocythemia in 5- and 10-year-old children, who presented with platelet counts of more than 1,000,000/mm(3). Treatment is not recommended for ET in an asymptomatic patient in the absence of bleeding or thrombosis and a platelet count <1,500,000/mm(3). Our first case had platelets >1,500,000/mm(3), and a second child was symptomatic with recurrent headache. Both responded well to therapy with hydroxyurea (dose 15-30 mg/kg/day) and tolerated it well.
Pediatric Hematology Oncology and BMT Unit, Department of Pediatrics Institute of Child Health, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Rajender Nagar, New Delhi, 110060, India.
Vikas
V
Dua
Satya Prakash
SP
Yadav
Vijay
V
Kumar
Renu
R
Saxena
Anupam
A
Sachdeva
D001241:Aspirin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D058070:Asymptomatic Diseases; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000473:pathology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006261:Headache / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D006918:Hydroxyurea / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D053614:Janus Kinase 2 / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D020125:Mutation, Missense; D010976:Platelet Count; D017354:Point Mutation; D012074:Remission Induction; D013920:Thrombocythemia, Essential / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*
D053614:Janus Kinase 2; D001241:Aspirin; D006918:Hydroxyurea