Abstract
Stress (spurious) polycythemia is a pathological condition induced by psychosocial events and emotional stress in which the erythrocyte component in the blood abnormally increases. It induces increased blood viscosity and may cause thrombus formation, which may develop into the cerebrovascular accident or ischemic heart disease in a certain condition. We studied the etiology and involvement of psychosocial stress factors, and physiological factors, and considered the relationship between the stress and organ choice. Stress polycythemia is often seen in very active individuals when they are driven into a stressful situation, but some distorted personality such as neurotic state, cyclothymia, or depressive state may also participate in the formation of polycythemia. Erythrocyte component often increases or decreases with the change of circumstances and sometimes returns to normal when sufficient relaxation is acquired. Elevation of erythrocyte component may play a more important role than relative water loss for the formation of polycythemia because viscosity of whole blood increases as the hemoglobin increases whereas plasm viscosity does not. When people have certain physiological propensities of the autonomic nervous system and endocrine system along with certain personal trait and behavioral characteristics, they may develop polycythemia under psychosocial or physical stress. Our studies showed that the elevated plasma catecholamine often associates with the elevation of red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets and PF4 (platelet factor-4) . It is essential to pay more attension to the distorted behavior of daily life and alteration of life style is important for prevention and treatment of circulatory disorders induced by the stress polycythemia.
