INFLUENCE OF GLYCEMIC CONTROL ON VISCOSITY AND DENSITY OF PLASMA AND WHOLE-BLOOD IN TYPE-1 DIABETIC-PATIENTS

The hemorheological properties of blood play an important role in dete rmining blood flow. Blood inertia, as characterized by blood density, controls blood flow in the large arteries, whereas blood viscosity bec omes increasingly important with decreasing vessel diameter. In order to evaluate the impact of glycemic control on the rheological properti es of blood, we examined viscosity (shear range: 600-0.2 s(-1)) and de nsity of plasma and whole blood in 26 Type-1 diabetic patients and in 24 healthy controls, matched for age and sex. The diabetic subjects we re subdivided into two groups according to their degree of glycemic co ntrol: 14 patients with good (HbA(1c) = 7.1 +/- 0.6%), and 12 patients with poor control (HbA(1c) = 8.7 +/- 0.7%). Diabetic patients as a wh ole did not differ from healthy controls in any of the rheological par ameters. subdivision of the patients due to their degree of glycemic c ontrol led to a marked rheological separation of Type-1 diabetic subje cts with significantly lower plasma (P < 0.008) and whole blood viscos ity (P < 0.03 at 10 and 25 s(-1)), and plasma density (P < 0.05) in we ll controlled patients. Compared with healthy controls, well controlle d diabetic patients had significantly lower values of viscosity (P < 0 .005) and density (P < 0.05) of plasma. Poorly controlled patients, on the other hand, did not differ from healthy controls in the examined rheological parameters. There seems to be a positive influence of good glycemic control on hemorheology in Type-1 diabetic patients.