Blood viscosity and parodontopathic disorders

Abstract

Research has revealed that the rheological parameters undergo alterations during various pathological conditions. In this paper the authors present their rheological investigations during parodontopathic disorders. Two groups of patients were studied:

A group of 30 healthy control subjects.

A group of 33 subjects suffering from parodontopathy (gingivitis or parodontitis), but free from any general illness. The criteria for health or parodontal disease were assessed on the basis of two indexes: GI (gingival index, according to Loe and Silness) and PDI (periodontal disease index, according to Ranfjord). The results revealed:

A perceptible (but not significant) increase in total proteins level in – the group of parodontopathic patients.

An increase in plasma viscosity, primarily in the subjects with gingivitis.

A significant increase in blood viscosity (+10%) at low shear rates ( $\dot{\mathit{\gamma }}\mathrm{<}{\mathit{s}}^{-1}$ ) in all the subjects affected by parodontopathy. The connection between blood hyperviscosity and parodontal disease is discussed, both in relation to the inflammatory reaction and to the local nature of the parodontal disorder.