Abstract
Summary
The results of the present study indicate that the plasma volume is subnormal in adult cases of morbus caeruleus while the total circulating blood volume is moderately increased, this increase being due to a considerable increase in circulating red cell volume. From the viewpoint of the disturbed dynamics of the circulation in morbus caeruleus, these blood volume findings would appear to indicate a compensatory effort on the part of the circulation to maintain a normal blood volume at the expense of a reduced plasma volume. At the same time, this permits the increase in circulating red cell volume which is necessary to compensate in part at least for the anoxia.
The blood volume findings in morbus caeruleus resemble those of polycythemia vera in that in both conditions the circulating red cell volume and total volume are increased both in relative and absolute values. The only difference is associated with the plasma volume change; in morbus caeruleus it is subnormal while in polycythemia vera the plasma volume tends to be slightly above normal.∗
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