[Hemorrheological status in patients with silicosis and its clinical significance].
OBJECTIVE
To study relationship between silicosis and hemorrheology and its clinical significance.


METHODS
Varied indices for hemorrheology were measured in 85 male patients with silicosis, 45 male patients with chronic bronchitis and 100 healthy male subjects.


RESULTS
Compared with the control group and the chronic bronchitis patient group, average hematocrit (Hct), whole blood apparent viscosity (eta(a)) at 4 s(-1) - 200 s(-1) shear rates, plasma viscosity (eta(p)), erythrocyte electrophoresis time (EET) and platelet electrophoresis time (PET) all significantly increased in patients with silicosis (P < 0.001). Hemorrheological indices in patients with silicosis increased with severity of disease, increased with decrease in their pulmonary function, and were all significantly higher than those in the control group (P < 0.01 approximately equal 0.001). Stepwise regression analysis showed that severity of disease correlated closely to Hct, eta(a) at 4 s(-1) - 200 s(-1), EET and PET, and that pulmonary function status in patients with silicosis and their courses correlated closely to Hct, eta(a) at 4 s(-1) - 200 s(-1), eta(p), EET and PET.


CONCLUSIONS
Blood of patients with silicosis was in highly viscose status, which was easy to be complicated with multiple diseases.
Zhou
J
J
The 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009.
Wu
D
D
Zhu
Y
Y
Ding
D
D
Peng
F
F
D000368:Aged; D001809:Blood Viscosity; D029481:Bronchitis, Chronic / Q000097:blood; D004907:Erythrocyte Deformability; D006400:Hematocrit; D018056:Hemorheology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D012829:Silicosis / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology