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Updated: May 17, 2026

Measuring Deformability and Red Cell Heterogeneity in Blood by Ektacytometry
Published on: January 12, 2018
Erythrocyte deformability and psoriasis
Amparo Vayá1, Belinda Andino, Jose M Ricart
1Hemorheology and Haemostasis Unit, Service of Clinical Pathology, La Fe University Hospital, Valencia, Spain.
Abstract:
Psoriasis, a systemic immunomediated disorder, is associated with increased cardiovascular risk, although the contribution of rheological alteration to this risk has been seldom analyzed. We have determined erythrocyte deformability in 91 patients with psoriasis and in 101 sex- and age-matched control subjects by means of the Rheodyn SSD, along with hematological, biochemical and inflammatory parameters. Although psoriatic patients showed higher BMI, waist, triglyceride, C-reactive protein levels, neutrophils count and lower HDL-cholesterol (P < 0.001), no differences in the elongation index and in any of the shear stresses tested (12, 30, 60 Pa) were observed (P > 0.05). The results of the present study indicate that patients with psoriasis do not present impaired erythrocyte deformability. Therefore this rheological parameter does not seem to be involved in the higher cardiovascular risk characterizing these patients.
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