[Rheologic modifications induced by heparin therapy. Capillary blood viscosity, erythrocyte deformability, aggregation index].
BACKGROUND
The most important problem with which doctors have to deal every day in their practice, is occlusive vascular disease, at the basis of which there is commonly a process of thrombosis. For this reason, it is very important to define early the subjects at thrombosis risk and an appropriate therapeutic strategy.


METHODS
We considered 13 inpatients at thrombosis risk, c/o sezione di Clinica Medica I, dipartimento di Medicina Interna e Terapia Medica, Università di Pavia, IRCCS Policlinico S. Matteo, and 12 healthy volunteers, between March and June 1998, evaluating age, sex, weight, diseases and ongoing therapy, hemocytological, hemocoagulational and hemorheological tests before and after heparinic therapy.


RESULTS
General blood viscosity, measured by the rotational and double-filtration method, presented no significant changes; on the contrary, capillary blood viscosity and erythrocyte deformability, measured by our new double-filtration method, showed respectively an increase and a decrease.


CONCLUSIONS
Calcium heparin is the most frequently used antithrombotic drug in thrombotic diseases and their prevention, but its action on the hemorheological profile is not clear. This study showed that it increases erythrocyte aggregation rate and decreases erythrocyte deformability, having a negative effect on the microcirculation.
Achilli
E
E
Dipartimento di Medicina Interna, Facoltà di Medicina e Chirurgia, Università degli Studi, Pavia.
Cortinovis
A
A
Ardemagni
P
P
Crippa
A
A
D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001809:Blood Viscosity / Q000187:drug effects*; D002196:Capillaries / Q000187:drug effects; D004903:Erythrocyte Aggregation / Q000187:drug effects*; D006493:Heparin / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008833:Microcirculation / Q000187:drug effects; D010992:Plethysmography, Impedance; D012212:Rheology; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000188:drug therapy*
D000925:Anticoagulants; D006493:Heparin
Modificazioni emoreologiche indotte dalla terapia eparinica. Viscosità ematica capillare, deformabilità eritrocitaria, indice di aggregazione.