Design Principles for Clinical and Laboratory Studies of Erythrocyte Deformability

Abstract

The design of rheological studies is of critical importance for the demonstration of a true difference in erythrocyte deformability between patient and control groups. Principles that form the basis of good study design include an adequate number of patients, concurrent study of patients and matched controls, elimination of acute phase reactants, explanation of results in relation to known determinants of erythrocyte deformability, study of a representative blood sample, inclusion of a quality assurance programme, appropriate statistical analysis, and the use of a combination of rheological instruments that measure different aspects of erythrocyte deformability. These principles should routinely be applied when designing, or evaluating, rheological studies.