title: Correlation between blood rheological properties and red blood cell indices(MCH, MCV, MCHC) in healthy women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Structure and mechanical properties of red blood cells are markedly influenced by pathophysiology of many diseases which in turn potentially impair microcirculatory blood flow. The physiological association between blood rheological parameters and red blood cell indices was investigated in otherwise healthy unselected mid-age women prior to elective gynaecological surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  Red Blood Cell-deformability (RBC 1.2, 3.0; 6.0, 12.0; 30.0, 60.0) during exposure to low (RBC 1.2, 3.0), moderate (RBC 16.0, 12.0) and high shear forces (RBC 30.0, 60.0; Rheodyn; Myrenne), -aggregation (MA1; Myrenne) during low shear (E1; 4-1 S) and in stasis (E0) and plasma viscosity (Pv; KSV 1; Fresenius) were correlated with red blood cell indices (RBC-I: MCV, MCH and MCHC) and subjects' characteristics in 286 healthy women the day before undergoing gynaecologic standard surgery. Women with known pregnancy, malign-, infective-, chronic-disease or extreme BMI (<16; >40 Kg/m2) were excluded from this trial.
  
  
  RESULTS
  From June 2014 to December 2014 a total of 286 healthy women (age: 46.5±17.6 y; BMI: 25.5±5.2 kg/m2) were eligible for inclusion into this prospective evaluation. Pv (mean±SD: 1.17±0.12 mPa s) and RBC aggregation (E0:12.6±6.3; E1:17.9±7.3) were not significantly correlated with RBC-I but with age and BMI. In contrast, RBC-deformability correlated significantly with MCV and MCH but significantly inversely correlated with MCHC. Deformability significantly increased with age but was unaffected by BMI of women. The correlation between RBC-I and RBC deformability was most remarkable during moderate shear force exposure. Neither haemoglobin nor haematocrit were correlated with RBC deformability or RBC-I.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cell volume and haemoglobin content had a strong impact on deformability in apparently healthy mid age women, whereas low MCHC and large MCV were associated with an increase in deformability while high MCHC and small MCV correlated with increased rigidity of RBC. BMI had no impact on deformability while age was associated with an increase in all determinants of blood viscosity. RBC aggregability was not affected by MCV, MCHC or MCH in mid-age women.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, St. Vinzenz Hospital, Hanau, Germany.|Institut of Coagulation Disorders in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Hausen, Germany.
authors.forename: Georg-Friedrich
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: von Tempelhoff
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, St. Vinzenz Hospital, Hanau, Germany.|Institut of Coagulation Disorders in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Hausen, Germany.
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Schelkunov
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, St. Vinzenz Hospital, Hanau, Germany.|Institut of Coagulation Disorders in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Hausen, Germany.
authors.forename: Attila
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Demirhan
authors.affiliation: Institut of Coagulation Disorders in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Hausen, Germany.|Democritus University of Thrace, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Alexandroupolis, Greece.
authors.forename: Panagiotis
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tsikouras
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, RWTH University of Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Werner
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Rath
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, City Hospital of Aschaffenburg, Aschaffenburg, Germany.|Institut of Coagulation Disorders in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Hausen, Germany.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Velten
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, City Hospital of Aschaffenburg, Aschaffenburg, Germany.|Institut of Coagulation Disorders in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Hausen, Germany.|Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Debrecen, Hungary.
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Csorba
mesh_terms: D001809:Blood Viscosity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004909:Erythrocyte Indices; D005260:Female; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012212:Rheology / Q000379:methods*
keywords: MCHC; MCV; Plasma viscosity; red blood cell aggregation; red blood cell deformability MCH