title: Hyperviscosity as a possible risk factor for cerebral ischemic complications in atrial fibrillation patients.
abstract: Recent studies have suggested that hyperviscosity is frequent in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). The aims of this study were to evaluate if hemorheologic alterations play a role in the occurrence of cerebral ischemic events in patients with AF and to explore a possible association between inflammation and hyperviscosity in these patients. Sixty-two patients with AF with a history of >or=1 cerebral ischemic event and 94 patients with AF without cerebral ischemic events were studied. A control population included 130 age- and gender-matched healthy volunteers. Hemorheologic variables (whole-blood viscosity, plasma viscosity, the erythrocyte deformability index, and hematocrit), fibrinogen, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels were assayed. An alteration in whole blood viscosity at 94.5 seconds(-1) and the erythrocyte deformability index were found more frequently in patients with previous ischemic events on univariate and multivariate analyses (odds ratio 3.19, p=0.023 and odds ratio 4.26, p=0.002, respectively) adjusted for age, gender, hypertension, diabetes, history of coronary artery disease, left ventricular dysfunction, smoking habit, dyslipidemia, hematocrit, fibrinogen, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, and hemorheologic parameters. These results should stimulate prospective studies on the role of hemorheologic alterations in the occurrence of cerebral ischemic complications in patients with AF.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Area Critica Medico-Chirurgica, Centro Trombosi, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Careggi, Firenze, Italy.
authors.forename: Emanuele
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cecchi
authors.forename: Rossella
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Marcucci
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Poli
authors.forename: Emilia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Antonucci
authors.forename: Rosanna
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Abbate
authors.forename: Gian Franco
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Gensini
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Prisco
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mannini
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000097:blood*; D001809:Blood Viscosity; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000097:blood*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004907:Erythrocyte Deformability; D005260:Female; D018056:Hemorheology; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors