Haemorheological factors in diabetes mellitus patients in Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex (OAUTHC), Ile-Ife, Nigeria

Abstract

A study on haemorheological factors in diabetes mellitus patients was carried out. Fifty blood samples were analyzed, comprising of thirty (30) diagnosed diabetes mellitus patients attending chemical pathology Clinic in OAUTH Ile-Ife and twenty (20) from apparently health individuals. The haemorheological parameters determined in this study were Packed cell volume (PCV); Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR), Plasma Fibrinogen Concentration (PFC), whole blood viscosity (WBV), Plasma Viscosity (PV), and plasma glucose. Microhaematocrit, the Westergren's and Ingram's (1961) methods were used respectively for analysis, while technique of Reid and Ugwu (1987) was used for whole blood and plasma viscosity. Glucose-oxidase method was used for plasma glucose estimation. The mean ± S.E.M values obtained for the patients are: PCV 39%, ESR 35mm Westergren in 1 hour, PFC 55.50g/m., WBV 6.12, PV 1.97 and glucose 7.39mmol/L while those of controls are: PCV 42.45%, ESR 6.80, PFC 31.60g/ml, WBV 3.84, PV 1.56 and glucose 3.94mmol/L. All the parameters were statistically significant (P<0.05). Hence high blood pressure usually accompanying diabetes mellitus could be attributed to significant increase in the values of fibrinogen in conjunction with the whole blood viscosity and plasma viscosity. The study therefore suggests that if the fibrinogen level in diabetes mellitus patients is lowered, the high blood pressure that usually accompanies the disease may be minimized.

Keywords: haemorheology, diabetes mellitus, hyperglycaemia, vascular resistance and blood flow viscosity

Nigerian Journal of Health and Biomedical Sciences Vol. 4(2) 2005: 161-164