Abstract
35 patients with chronic renal failure undergoing thrice weekly routine hemodialysis were compared to 37 age- and sex-matched controls for rheological abnormalities. The measurements using 40% red blood cell/ plasma suspensions included the extent, rate and strength of red blood cell aggregation via a computer controlled MYRENNE aggregometer and the viscous and elastic components of the complex viscosity in an OCRD viscometer; plasma viscosity, serum proteins and fibrinogen levels were also determined. The patients exhibited significant (p < 0.01 or better) differences in 1) plasma viscosity; 2) FSAR; 3) gamma-T-min; 4) red blood cell aggregation halftime; 5) elastic component of complex viscosity at 10, 50 and 100/sec; 6) β-globulin; 7) fibrinogen. Conversely, neither the MYRENNE aggregation index nor the zeta sedimentation ratio differed from control values (p > 0.05). For the patients, several parameters demonstrated significant (p < 0.05) correlations with fibrinogen (e.g. FSAR, gamma-T-min, halftime of aggregation, elastic component of complex viscosity). These results suggest the possibility of disturbed microcirculatory flow in uremia.
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