title: Inflammation-related erythrocyte aggregation in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.
abstract: Chronic inflammation is associated with increased erythrocyte adhesiveness/aggregation. This might have deleterious effects on the microcirculatory flow and tissue oxygenation. We aimed to determine the degree of erythrocyte adhesiveness/aggregation in the peripheral blood of individuals with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Fifty-two patients (24 women and 28 men) with ulcerative colitis (UC) at a mean age of 44.0+/-16.8 years and 96 patients (44 women and 52 men) with Crohn's disease (CD) at a mean age of 38.0+/-15.5 years, with various degrees of disease activity, were matched to normal controls. A simple slide test and image analysis were used to determine the degree of erythrocyte adhesiveness/aggregation. CD activity index (CDAI) was determined in patients with CD, while clinical colitis activity index was applied for patients with UC. A significant (P < 0.0005) increment in the degree of erythrocyte adhesiveness/aggregation was noted in both groups of IBD patients compared with matched control groups. This increment was evident even in individuals with a low index of disease activity and during remission. The highly significant correlation with the concentrations of fibrinogen suggests that the degree of erythrocyte adhesiveness/aggregation is an inflammation-related phenomenon. An enhanced state of erythrocyte adhesiveness/aggregation was noted in the peripheral blood of patients with IBD. This might have a deleterious effect on intestinal microcirculatory flow and tissue oxygenation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine "D," Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Liaz
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zilberman
authors.forename: Ori
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Rogowski
authors.forename: Meirav
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rozenblat
authors.forename: Itzhak
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Shapira
authors.forename: Jacob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Serov
authors.forename: Pinhas
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Halpern
authors.forename: Iris
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Dotan
authors.forename: Nadir
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Arber
authors.forename: Shlomo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Berliner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004903:Erythrocyte Aggregation; D005260:Female; D005340:Fibrinogen / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D005340:Fibrinogen