D75: Other diseases of blood and blood-forming organs

D75.0: Familial erythrocytosis

Blood is made up of a liquid part and different blood cells, among other things. The blood cells include the red blood cells, the white blood cells and the platelets. The red blood cells carry oxygen from the lungs throughout the body.

The red blood cells are produced in the bone marrow. To do this, a messenger substance from the kidneys bonds with receptor sites on the cells in the bone marrow. In your case, due to a congenital disorder, the receptor sites are more active than in other people. As a result, more red blood cells than usual are being produced in your bone marrow.

If you have too many red blood cells in your blood, there can be various symptoms. You can have headaches or frequent nose bleeds, for example. One might feel dizzy.

The disorder is hereditary. Other family members may also be affected.