The Erythrocyte Adhesiveness/Aggregation Test (EAAT) in the Peripheral Blood of Patients With Ischemic Heart and Brain Disease with Normal Fibrinogen Concentrations

Abstract

Previous studies have documented the presence of increased red blood cell aggregability in patients with ischemic heart and brain diseases. We adapted a simple slide technique and image analysis to reveal the state of erythrocyte adhesiveness/aggregation (EAA) in the peripheral blood of 206 such patients and in 174 controls. A significant (P<0.0001) correlation was noted between the EAA state and both fibrinogen concentrations and erythrocyte sedimentation rate in the whole cohort. Noteworthy was a highly significant increment in the EAA state in a subgroup of 49 patients who had normal fibrinogen concentrations when compared to matched healthy controls. This was also the case in 82 patients who had a normal erythrocyte sedimentation rate. Thus, the EAA assay appears to have the advantage of revealing the presence of acute phase response sticky proteins not detected by either the erythrocyte sedimentation rate or clottable fibrinogen in some patients with a documented ischemic vascular disease.

Keywords

• erythrocyte aggregation
• ischemic vascular disease