Polycythemia is a disease characterized by an abnormally high number of red blood cells.This makes the blood thick,hard to pump,and tends to clog up the vascular system.Athletes sometimes try to mimic this by an illegal practice in an attempt to boost oxygen delivery.This practice is called ________.

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Blood doping is the practice of illicitly boosting the number of red blood cells in the body, which is similar to the symptoms of polycythemia. This is done by injecting EPO (erythropoietin) or undergoing blood transfusions. It is prohibited in sports because it enhances athletic performance and gives an unfair advantage to the athletes. Leukemia is a type of cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow, causing an overproduction of abnormal white blood cells. Bloodletting is an outdated medical practice of removing blood from a patient. Bone marrow transplant is a medical procedure that involves replacing damaged or diseased bone marrow with healthy bone marrow stem cells.

Polycythemia Is a Disease Characterized by an Abnormally High Number