To prevent polycythemia, attention must be paid to reducing individual risk factors.
Behavioral risk factors
- Staying in high mountains
- Cigarette smoking
Other risk factors
- Severe desiccosis (dehydration) – passive erythrocytosis (increase in the number of red blood cells) with concomitant increase in hematocrit (proportion of erythrocytes in the volume of blood) and hemoglobin concentration.