Abstract
The role of either plasmatic or cellular factors in the erythrocyte aggregation has been quantitatively examined in type I diabetes mellitus by studying the variations in the light backscattered by an aggregating blood suspension. The erythrocyte aggregation parameters measured on cells from diabetic patients resuspended in autologous plasma were significantly impaired when compared to the values observed on erythrocytes from healthy controls resuspended in their own plasma. Aggregation was significantly lower when erythrocytes from diabetic patients were resuspended in normal plasma Conversely, it was noted a significantly higher aggregation when normal erythrocytes were resuspended in plasma from diabetic patients as compared to normal plasma. Similar cross-match experiments showed that erythrocyte membrane lipid fluidity is not affected by resuspension of red cells in different plasmas. These results underly the major role of plasmatic factors in erythrocyte hyperaggregation in type I diabetes mellitus.
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