Nh. Schut et al., NO DECREASED ERYTHROCYTE DEFORMABILITY IN TYPE-1 (INSULIN-DEPENDENT) DIABETES, EITHER BY FILTRATION OR BY EKTACYTOMETRY, Acta diabetologica, 30(2), 1993, pp. 89-92
A lower erythrocyte deformability, which causes impairment of the micr
ocirculation, is postulated to contribute to diabetic organ complicati
ons. Erythrocyte deformability was measured in four groups of type 1 (
insulin-dependent) diabetic subjects and 30 controls by filtration and
ektacytometry. Twenty-five patients without organ complications, 21 w
ith microalbuminuria, 13 with overt nephropathy and 12 with leg ulcera
tion were studied. No decreased erythrocyte deformability was found in
any of the diabetic groups with either technique, and neither did the
total group of 71 diabetic subjects have a lower erythrocyte deformab
ility when compared with the controls. In order to imitate local condi
tions in the kidney, erythrocyte deformability was also measured in hy
perosmolar solutions. Again no differences were found between the diab
etic groups separately or as a whole and the controls. Furthermore no
correlation was found between erythrocyte deformability and the plasma
glucose or glycosylated haemoglobin level.