MECHANISM OF THE REDUCTION OF ERYTHROCYTE DEFORMABILITY IN ACUTE EXACERBATION PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC COR-PULMONALE

Erythrocyte deformability, erythrocyte membrane fluidity, mean corpusc ular volume (MCV) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) were determined in 36 healthy subjects and 38 cases of acute exacerba tion patients with chronic cor pulmonale, and the shape of RBCs was ob served with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) in 6 healthy subjects and 8 cases of patients. The results showed that erythrocyte deformab ility, erythrocyte membrane fluidity and MCHC of patients decreased si gnificantly compared with those of healthy subjects. MCV and percentag e of abnormally shaped RBCs (most of them were stomatocytes, codocytes and spherocytes) of patients increased significantly compared with th ose of healthy subjects. It is concluded that the decrease of erythroc yte deformability in acute exacerbation patients with chronic cor pulm onale may be caused by reduction of erythrocyte membrane fluidity and increase of abnormally shaped RBCs.