Definition

A medical condition where there are too many red blood cells in the blood, which can lead to various health issues.

Example

The doctor diagnosed him with polycythemia after reviewing his blood test results.

Conversation

I just learned about this condition called polycythemia.

Oh really? What is it exactly?

It's when your body has too many red blood cells in circulation.

That sounds serious; I wonder how it affects a person's health.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Polycythemia → It is formed from "poly-" (meaning many) and "cytus" (from Greek "kytos", meaning cell) and "haima" (from Greek, meaning blood). The word describes a condition characterized by an increased number of cells in the blood, specifically red blood cells.

Memory Tip

Think of 'many' ('poly-') 'cells' ('cytus') in 'blood' ('haima') — that's what polycythemia means.

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