Plasma and whole blood viscosity in ischaemic heart disease: The Caerphilly studies

Abstract

Two community studies were set up to examine among other objectives, laboratory tests predictive of ischaemic heart disease (IHD). Over 2,000 middle-aged men were examined in each community in South Wales (Caerphilly) and the West of England (Speedwell, Bristol). Plasma viscosity was associated with age, smoking habit and existing cases of IHD. Preliminary incidence data indicated that plasma viscosity was significantly increased in subjects who died subsequently from IHD over a four year period of follow-up. Whole blood viscosity measurements were made on a systematic sub-sample of the Caerphilly population. Preliminary results from the first 297 men showed significant associations between existing cases of IHD and certain calculated indices from the ‘rheological profiles’ carried out for each subject. These analyses provide encouragement for this technique but analysis of larger data sets which are being collected is required to clarify these relationships.