Prolonged psychoemotional stress decreases blood fluidity

Abstract

Final exams were chosen as a model for psychoemotional stress. 13 healthy candidates were tested for haemorheological parameters (blood and plasma viscosity, red cell filterability, red cell aggregation) firstly just before the most crucial examination and secondly 3 weeks after the successful exams. The results indicate that stress increases blood and plasma viscosity and decreases filterability, while it leaves red cell aggregation unaltered. It could be postulated that psychoemotional stress exhibits its negative potential on cardiovascular disease partly through its ill effects on blood rheology.