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Left ventricular geometry and rheological properties of erythrocytes in patients at cardiovascular disease risk.

The relationship between erythrocyte deformability and aggregability with left ventricular mass index has been examined in patients diagnosed with at least one cardiovascular risk factor but without ongoing coronary heart disease. The group consisted of 66 individuals, 30 men and 36 women, of the average age 57.7 years. For each patient, deformability and aggregability of red blood cells (RBCs) as well as end-diastolic left ventricle diameter (LVD), interventricular septum thickness (IVST) and posterior wall thickness (PWT) were measured. On the basis of the echocardiographical parameters and anthropometric data, left ventricular mass index (LVMI) was calculated. The analysis revealed statistically significant correlation between the LVMI and erythrocyte deformability and aggregability: the LVMI increases with decreasing deformability and is higher in patients with higher aggregability. This finding indicates that the worsening of RBC rheological properties is one of the main factors contributing to alterations of cardiac geometry through the increase of peripheral resistance which, in turn, significantly augments the heart afterload. Given that left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is a predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, the association between hemorheological parameters and left ventricular geometry may be important in clinical practice.