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Updated: Aug 25, 2026

Measuring Deformability and Red Cell Heterogeneity in Blood by Ektacytometry
Published on: January 12, 2018
[Lipid profile and the deformability of the erythrocytes in athletes]
Abstract:
Correlations between rheological properties of blood (viscosity, spheric index, erythrocyte surface area/erythrocyte volume) and lipid profile (total cholesterol, HDLP, LDLP, VLDLP cholesterol, triglycerides, beta-LP) were studied in 24 athletes aged 19-29 years. It is shown that athletes with a low atherogenic index (AI < 2.15) had lower viscosity of blood with standard hematocrit 45% and higher erythrocyte deformability compared to those in athletes with AI > 2.15. The correlation analysis detected positive correlation of erythrocyte suspension viscosity with AI, serum concentrations of triglycerides, beta-LP and negative correlation with concentrations of HDLP cholesterol. The value of the geometric factor of deformability correlated with concentration of VLDLP cholesterol and beta-LP. It is suggested that a close correlation exists between serum lipids and erythrocyte deformability.
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