Study on erythrocyte lipids and osmotic fragility in elderly people with anemia

Hospitalized aged patients suffering from a sequelae of cerebral vascular disorders accompanied by anemia were studied to clarify the relationship among the osmotic fragility of red blood cells, plasma lipids and the phospholipids fraction of erythrocytes. As a result, with a decrease in hemoglobin (Hb) concentrations, each lipid fraction of plasma decreased remarkably and the phospholipid composition ratio of erythrocytes was disturbed. In accordance with the fluctuation of the lipid fraction of erythrocytes, increases in osmotic fragility of erythrocytes and in resistance to osmotic lysis were observed.