Vascular complications of essential thrombocythaemia: a link to cardiovascular risk factors.

Essential thrombocythaemia (ET) is a myeloproliferative disorder characterized by absolute thrombocytosis and increased incidence of thrombosis and haemorrhage. We report higher morbidity in patients with ET due to arterial ischaemic complications when cardiovascular risk factors are present. In this retrospective analysis of 46 patients, arterial complications occurred in 20/46 patients (43.4%); patients with cardiovascular risk factors, especially cigarette smoking, had more than twice as many arterial complications than patients without risk factors (62.5% v 22.7%, P < 0.05). Neither age, gender nor degree of thrombocytosis were linked to the number of complications. In contrast, we observed no association between cardiovascular risk factors and venous thrombosis or haemorrhagic complications of ET.