[Studies of red cell deformability and lipid composition of red cell membrane in chronic arterial occlusive diseases]

Red cell deformability (RCD), by a filtration method, was studied on patients with chronic arterial occlusive diseases: Arteriosclerosis obliterans (ASO) and Buerger's disease (TAO). RCD decreased significantly in both ASO and TAO. Furthermore, RCD decreased in patients with gangrene and complications in other organs much more than in those without them in ASO. In ASO positive correlation was observed between RCD and serum HDL-cholesterol level, while negative correlation between RCD and serum lipid peroxide level. The deformability of the red cells resuspended in a standard plasma protein fraction was also studied to assess the influences of plasma factors on RCD. As the result decreased RCD was considered probably due to a change in red cells rather than plasma factors in ASO.