Polycythemia (also known as polycythaemia or polyglobulia) is a disease state in which the proportion of blood volume that is occupied by red blood cells increases. Blood volume proportions can be measured as hematocrit.It can be due to an increase in the number of red blood cells (absolute polycythemia) or to a decrease in the volume of plasma (relative polycythemia).lood volume proportions can be measured as hematocrit. It can be due to an increase in the number of red blood cells (absolute polycythemia) or to a decrease in the volume of plasma (relative polycythemia).
1 Some 20% of adolescents with major depression develop bipolar disorder within five years of the onset of depression. ( 2 Birmaher, B., Childhood and Adolescent Depression: A Review of the Past 10 Years.. 3  Part I, 1995).
While that seems like a high number it also means 40-60% of the risk of developing the disorder despite having the same genes comes from the environment. Only 40-60% of every set of identical twins will develop the disorder. So what is it that could be triggering this high rate of bipolar disorder in the US?