[Hemorheologic studies for evaluating microcirculation in patients with peripheral arterial circulatory disorders and...

Haemorheological investigations in 73 male patients with chronic disturbances of the arterial blood supply of the lower extremities and 54 male non-insulin-requiring (type-II-) diabetics with and without micro- and macroangiopathy resulted in significant changes of the flow properties of the blood in contrast to 20 comparable clinically healthy males. In all groups of patients a clear increase of the aggregation of erythrocytes and the viscosity of plasma as well as a decrease of the deformability of erythrocytes were to be proved. The size of the deviations of all three parameters from the normal correlated with the degree of severity of the arterial obstructive disease and in diabetics with the occurrence of vascular complications (macroangiopathy, retinopathy) as well as with the situation of metabolism. The decreased fluidity of blood may lead to the development of further enlargement of disturbances of microcirculation. Therefore, haemorheological viewpoints should be included into the total diagnostic and therapeutic concept of the arterial obstructive disease and the diabetes mellitus.