In this video, Dr. Gabriela Hobbs explains that
essential thrombocythemia (
ET) usually develops later in life, most often diagnosed in people in their 60s, though about 20% are diagnosed before age 40. ET affects both men and women, with a slightly higher occurrence in women. While doctors do not know exactly why ET develops, it is caused by
acquired genetic mutations in
blood-forming stem cells. These mutations (most commonly
JAK2, followed by
CALR and
MPL) cause the bone marrow to ignore normal signals and produce
too many platelets, leading to the diagnosis of ET.
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