Erythrocyte aggregation: basic aspects and clinical importance

Red blood cell (RBC) aggregate to form two- and three-dimensional structures when suspended in aqueous solutions containing large plasma proteins or polymers; this aggregation is reversible and shear dependent (i.e., dispersed at high shear and reformed at low or stasis). The extent of aggregation is the main determinant of low shear blood viscosity, thus predicting an inverse relationship between aggregation and in vivo blood flow. However, the effects of aggregation on hemodynamic mechanisms (e.g., plasma skimming, Fåhraeus Effect, microvascular hematocrit) may promote rather than impede vascular blood flow. The impact of enhanced RBC aggregation on endothelial function and hemostatic mechanisms adds further complexity, thereby requiring specific attention to the nature, extent and time course of aggregation when considering its overall influence on tissue perfusion. A detailed understanding of aggregation effects is important from a clinical point of view since it may be enhanced during a variety of pathophysiological processes, including infections, circulatory and metabolic disorders, hematological pathologies and several other disease states. Altered RBC aggregation may be an indicator of disease as well as a factor affecting the course of the clinical condition; the prognostic value of RBC aggregation indices has been demonstrated in various diseases. Currently, RBC aggregation is an easily and accurately measurable parameter, and therefore may be expected to have broader clinical usage in the future.