Factors Affecting Blood Viscosity

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Factors Affecting Blood Viscosity

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Introduction

• This refers to measurement of stickiness and
  thickness of the blood of a patient.
• Blood viscosity is a crucial hemodynamic
  biomarker.
• It determines friction against blood vessels.
• It also determine quantity of the oxygen that is
  delivered to organs/tissues.
• It also verifies the degree of the hearts
  working.

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Correlation of Blood viscosity and risk factors
of cardiovascular disease

• There is a link between the above two.
• Risk factors of cardiovascular disease are
• smoking
• age
• sex
• inflammation
• high blood pressure
• insulin resistance

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• low and high density lipoprotein cholesterol
• high low-density lipoprotein cholesterol
• High blood viscosity is an independent indicator
  of the cardiovascular events in the body.
• High levels of blood viscosity are predictors of
  stroke.
• This is when major risk factors have been
  controlled.

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Eactors that affect blood viscosity

• Plasma and Water
• Are considered Newtonian fluids.
• Their viscosity remains at constant level.
• This is if whether they are flowing slowly or
  fast .
• Whole blood is not a Newtonian fluid.
• Its viscosity keeps changing with velocity.

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• White cells, platelets and red cells which
  increase the viscosity of blood further.
• Red cells affect blood viscosity the most.
• Increase in red cells in the blood causes a
  relative increase in blood viscosity.
• Hematocrit causes about 50 percent difference in
  blood viscosity.
• This is from normal viscosity to high viscosity.

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Erythrocyte Deformability

• It also affects blood viscosity.
• Refers to ability of the red blood cells to
  elongate a high velocity.
• They as well as fold and bend to pass via slender
  passage ways in the capillaries.
• It makes red blood cells have high flexibility.
• They therefore cause low blood viscosity.
• Young red blood cells have higher flexibility
  than older ones

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Erythrocyte Aggregation

• This also affects blood viscosity .
• It is the tendency of the red blood cells to
  attract each other.
• They do end up sticking together.
• The tendency of the red blood cells to aggregate
  is usually complex.
• Their deformability and plasma proteins have a
  role to play in erythrocyte aggregation.
• Temperature also affects blood viscosity

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