Rheological properties of white blood cells are changed in diabetic patients with microvascular complications.
Erythrocyte and white blood cell suspensions were prepared from 22 Type 1 (insulin-dependent) and 37 Type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetic patients and from 57 control subjects. Cell filterability was studied with the new "St. George's Filtrometer", which can discriminate between cell deformability and filter occlusion. A pronounced increase of filter clogging was found in diabetic patients compared with control subjects. There was no significant difference between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetic patients, but a significantly increased clogging was found in patients with retinopathy compared with retinopathy-free patients. Considering that filter occlusion is mainly due to leucocytes, our results show a reduced filterability of white blood cells in diabetic patients. Altered white blood cell function may act as an additional factor in the impairment of microvascular circulation in diabetic patients.
Vermes
I
I
Department of Clinical Chemistry, H.d.K. Hospital, Oldenzaal, The Netherlands.
Steinmetz
E T
ET
Zeyen
L J
LJ
van der Veen
E A
EA
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000097:blood; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood; D003925:Diabetic Angiopathies / Q000097:blood*; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000097:blood; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values; D012212:Rheology