Sickle red cell microrheology and sickle blood rheology

The hallmark of the phenotypic expression of sickle cell disease is the remarkable degree of heterogeneity in the clinical manifestations. They vary latitudinally among patients and longitudinally in the same patient. The pathogenesis of sickle cell anemia centers on the sequence of events that occur between polymerization of deoxy hemoglobin S and increased red cell destruction, vasoocclusion, and end organ damage. Cellular dehydration, changes in sickle red blood cell rheology, adhesion of sickle red cells to vascular endothelium, inflammatory response, and tissue injury are some of the factors that contribute to hemolytic anemia, vasoocclusion, and eventual multiorgan damage. The focus of this review is on the rheology of sickle blood and microrheology of sickle RBC. Determinants of sickle RBC rheology and the factors that modulate its severity are discussed.