Chapter 10, Problem 31CT

Summary Introduction

Case summary:

Professor from Boston, who is in middle age, is in the Swiss Alps and studying astronomy. This professor lands 2 days ago and he intends to stay for the entire year. But, he observes that he is short of breath while walking the steps and also gets tired easily with any physical exercise or activity. After, few months, his symptoms gradually fade away and he feels good. When he gets back to United States, he undergoes a full physical exam and his results suggests that his erythrocyte count is increased from the normal level.

Characters in the case:

A middle aged college going professor.

Adequate information:

The erythrocyte count is higher than normal in a middle-aged college Professor.

To determine:

The rationale behind higher erythrocyte count in the given case and whether this phenomenon is irreversible or not.

Given information:

The person, in this case, had been in Swiss Alps for around a year. He is middle aged and a professor by profession. He is from Boston, which is situated at sea level. He had symptoms like shortness of breath and tiredness in the beginning but later subsided without any intervention.

Introduction:

This case is a classic example of secondary polycythemia. Polycythemia is defined as an abnormal increase in the number of erythrocytes or red blood corpuscles (RBCs) in the blood. As erythrocyte count is higher in this person, he can be diagnosed as having polycythemia.