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Hemorheological abnormalities in stable angina and acute coronary syndromes

Byoung K Lee1, Azhil Durairaj, Anilkumar Mehra

  • 1Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA.

Clinical Hemorheology and Microcirculation
|May 27, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Blood flow abnormalities, including increased red blood cell aggregation and viscosity, are linked to the severity of coronary artery disease. These hemorheological changes worsen with disease progression from stable angina to acute myocardial infarction.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Medicine
  • Hemodynamics
  • Biophysics

Background:

  • Pathophysiology of stable angina (SA) and acute coronary syndromes (ACS) may involve blood flow and rheological properties.
  • Hemorheological parameters are crucial in understanding cardiovascular disease progression.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate hemorheological parameters in healthy controls and patients with SA, unstable angina (UA), and acute myocardial infarction (AMI).
  • To assess the association between hemorheological abnormalities and the severity of coronary artery disease.

Main Methods:

  • Compared hemorheological parameters (whole blood viscosity, plasma viscosity, RBC aggregation via ESR and Myrenne aggregometer) in 16 controls and 16 SA, 18 UA, 19 AMI patients.
  • Measured RBC aggregability using 70 kDa dextran and inflammatory markers (WBC count, hs-CRP).

Main Results:

  • RBC aggregation was significantly elevated in all patient groups compared to controls (p<0.001), with AMI > UA > SA.
  • Blood viscosity, plasma viscosity, and yield shear stress followed the pattern AMI > UA > SA > control.
  • Inflammatory markers were elevated in all patient groups in the order AMI > UA > SA.

Conclusions:

  • Hemorheological abnormalities are associated with the severity of coronary artery disease.
  • Therapeutic interventions targeting blood rheology normalization may warrant investigation for reducing coronary artery disease incidence and progression.

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