Red blood cell membrane deformability in hemodialysed children

Abstract

Red blood cell (RBC) deformability was studied by means of a rheoscope and RBC membrane rigidity (i.e. membrane extensional elastic modulus, μ_e) was measured by using a flow channel in seven children and adolescents (9 to 17 years) with chronic renal failure undergoing regular hemodialysis. μ_e was 6.34±1.28x10⁻⁶ N/m in the uremic patients and 4.48±0.55×10⁻⁶ N/m in a control group of six healthy children (P<0.001). RBC deformation in the rheoscope (shear stress of 0.7 Pa) was 0.14±0.03 in the uremic patients and 0.19±0.02 in the controls (p<0.01). At a shear stress of 3 Pa, there was no significant difference between the patients and the controls. These results indicate that chronic renal failure is associated with increased RBC membrane rigidity and decreased RBC deformability at low shear.