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Effects of Whole Blood Viscosity on Atherogenesis
1Kensey Nash Corporation, 55 East Uwchlan Avenue, Suite 204, Exton, PA, 19341, USA.
Insights
High whole blood viscosity is strongly linked to arterial occlusive disease risk factors. Reducing blood viscosity may offer new diagnostic and prophylactic strategies for this condition.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Science
- Hematology
Background:
- Arterial occlusive disease shares common risk factors with elevated whole blood viscosity.
- Risk factors like hypertension, diabetes, and obesity increase blood viscosity.
- Preventive factors such as fish oil, aspirin, and exercise may decrease blood viscosity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the correlation between whole blood viscosity and arterial occlusive disease.
- To investigate the role of blood viscosity in the mechanical injury underlying arterial occlusive disease.
- To propose new diagnostic and prophylactic approaches for arterial occlusive disease.
Main Methods:
- Correlation analysis between whole blood viscosity and known risk factors.
- Review of existing literature on risk factors, preventive factors, and arterial occlusive disease.
- Theoretical framework based on the protective adaptation theory.
Main Results:
- A high correlation exists between elevated whole blood viscosity and arterial occlusive disease risk factors.
- These risk factors are implicated in increasing blood viscosity.
- Preventive factors appear to reduce blood viscosity.
Conclusions:
- High whole blood viscosity is a significant factor in arterial occlusive disease.
- Development of a clinical blood viscometer could aid in early diagnosis and screening.
- New prophylactic treatments targeting blood viscosity are warranted.
Abstract:
There is a high correlation between high whole blood viscosity and the well known risk factors for arterial occlusive disease: hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, male sex, age, smoking, and obesity. These risk factors increase whole blood viscosity, whereas the preventive factors of arterial occlusive disease such as fish oil, aspirin, alcohol, and exercise probably tend to reduce whole blood viscosity. The protective adaptation theory recently presented by Kensey and Cho1 proposed high whole blood viscosity as one of the major factors that make up the mechanical injury possibly inducing arterial occlusive disease. New diagnostic and prophylactic treatments for arterial occlusive disease are suggested. An accurate, convenient, and cost-effective blood viscometer that can be used in a clinical environment might become a useful diagnostic screening device for patients at risk for arterial occlusive disease, and it would help discover new prophylactic treatments.