The frequency of silent brain infarcts in polycythaemia vera and essential thrombocytosis

Abstract

Aim: Stroke or transient ischaemic attack in Ph chromosome-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms patients have been investigated many times, whereas there is limited research on silent brain infarcts. In our study, we explored the frequency of silent brain infarcts in a polycythaemia vera (PV) and essential thrombocytosis (ET) patient group and its relationship to disease-related factors. Methods: The study was designed retrospectively. PV and ET patients who were followed up between 2015–2021 were re-examined in terms of silent brain infarcts. There were 66 PV and ET patients who had an MRI scan of the brain. Nine patients were excluded due to symptomatic cerebrovascular disease, 25 were excluded due to having one or more of the following diseases or conditions: arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus type 2, migraine, smoking, carotid stenosis. Results: JAK-2 (Janus Kinase-2) mutation was observed in 23 patients (67.6%) and silent cerebral ischaemia was detected in 22 patients (35.3%). The rate of JAK-2 mutation in patients with silent cerebral ischaemia was found to be statistically higher than those without (P = 0.027). The relationship between remission status and silent cerebral ischaemia was also found to be statistically significant, patients in the remission period having a lower rate of silent cerebral ischaemia (P = 0.036). Conclusion: The findings of mean age and silent cerebral infarction frequency support the theory that PV and ET are also risk factors of silent brain infarction and need to be screened during the follow-up term.