title: Red blood cell aggregation and sedimentation: the role of the cell shape.
abstract: The influence of erythrocyte shape changes on the sedimentation rate was studied in vitro and in vivo. In vitro the highest sedimentation rate was observed with a slight degree of stomatocytosis (morphological index-0.3; i.e. one red cell out of three being a stomatocyte I). With increasing degrees of stomatocytosis the sedimentation rate gradually decreased. Echinocytosis reduced the aggregation and sedimentation very drastically; the sedimentation rate was virtually zero when echinocytosis I or higher degrees were present. The influence of abnormal cell shapes occurring in vivo was studied in patients with an abnormal blood smear. It was found that a severely abnormal red cell morphology reduced the sedimentation rate in a standardized, fibrinogen-rich plasma to about half. These results indicate that the shape plays a crucial role in the aggregation and sedimentation of red cells and they may contribute to the understanding of the interaction of red cells with other cells such as endothelium.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Bern, Inselspital, Switzerland.
authors.forename: W H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Reinhart
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: P W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Straub
mesh_terms: D001799:Blood Sedimentation; D002450:Cell Communication; D004903:Erythrocyte Aggregation; D004913:Erythrocytes, Abnormal / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans