[Hemorheological parameters in isolated obesity]

Obesity in adults is evoked by several authors as a risk factor for thrombosis and vascular diseases. There are also some reports in the literature describing hemorheological disturbances associated with obesity. However, the majority of these studies have been performed on obese populations with another concomitant pathology which can interfere on the measured rheological parameters. The present study was therefore devoted to the effect of obesity on the rheological properties of blood in the absence of any associated pathology. Results showed a significant increase in erythrocyte aggregation in obese population when compared to the controls while the red blood cell deformability was significantly decreased. The increase of aggregation was accompanied by significant increases in plasma viscosity and fibrinogen level. By contrast, albumin level was found to be decreased. The red cell aggregation differences between normal and obese subjects can be explained mainly in terms of the effects of altered fibrinogen concentration and albumin level. These results lead one to conclude that the plasma proteins metabolism and consequently erythrocyte aggregation could be altered only because of weight excess. These disturbances may also be considered as a risk factor promoting vascular diseases in obese patients.