Abstract
Forty six patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and 20 matched controls were investigated for blood and plasma viscosity, hematocrit, red cell aggregation and blood cell filterability. A significant hemorheological deficit was detected in patients compared with matched controls. The abnormality is more pronounced in clinically acute than in non-acute disease. In a longitudinal study the red cell aggregation paralleled the clinical course. Blood viscosity, plasma viscosity and blood cell filterability followed the same pattern, however, without reaching the level of significance. It is concluded that hemorheological changes exist in rheumatoid arthritis as a result of the underlying chronic inflammatory process. Red cell aggregation might be considered a practical bed side test to monitor the clinical course. Whether the changes in blood rheology in rheumatoid arthritis are of pathophysiological relevance needs yet to be elucidated.
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