Polycythemia vera (PV) is a type of blood disorder which causes the bone marrow to overproduce red blood cells. The condition sometimes also causes the body to produce too many platelets and white blood cells. These disorders cause the blood to thicken, which leads to a number of adverse conditions.
Most victims of PV are sixty years old and older, though the condition can affect people at any age. Some connection to toxic chemicals is suspected but not adequately proven.
Many people with PV fail to show any symptoms, and may never discover they have the condition unless it shows on blood testing. Many of the common symptoms are mild enough that they go unnoticed as well.
Because PV causes the blood to thicken, it can cause blood clots. Generally, these clots respond well to aspirin if they are noticed. Unfortunately, many people with PV don’t notice any symptoms until they have a stroke, heart attack, or other serious condition caused by the blood clotting.
The blood thickening caused by PV causes the blood flow to slow down. In some cases, the blood takes twice as long to circulate through the body than it would in a healthy body. People with PV are at significant risk for such serious and debilitating health conditions as Myelofibrosis, Budd-Chiari syndrome, deep venous thrombosis, heart attack, stroke or pulmonary embolism.
There is no cure known for PV and it is a chronic (long term, continual) condition by definition. To date, all treatments for the condition are focused on treating the symptoms and lessening the complications caused by the thickening of the blood.
If a person does not specifically meet or equal the listing criteria and severity of the PV impairment listing (7.00), they may still be approved for disability benefits. Social Security has another method of approving individuals for disability. If a person is unable to work because of the limitations of PV, they may be approved for disability through a medical vocational allowance.
Social Security disability examiners are able to consider a person’s residual functional capacity (what they are able to do in spite of limitations), age, education, past work activity and their ability to perform other types of work when their limitations are considered. If the disability examiner finds that their residual functional capacity is so restrictive it precludes their past work or jobs or any other work, they may be approved for disability benefits.