Effects of Whole Blood Viscosity on Atherogenesis.

There is a high correlation between high whole blood viscosity and the well known risk factors for arterial occlusive disease: hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, male sex, age, smoking, and obesity. These risk factors increase whole blood viscosity, whereas the preventive factors of arterial occlusive disease such as fish oil, aspirin, alcohol, and exercise probably tend to reduce whole blood viscosity. The protective adaptation theory recently presented by Kensey and Cho1 proposed high whole blood viscosity as one of the major factors that make up the mechanical injury possibly inducing arterial occlusive disease. New diagnostic and prophylactic treatments for arterial occlusive disease are suggested. An accurate, convenient, and cost-effective blood viscometer that can be used in a clinical environment might become a useful diagnostic screening device for patients at risk for arterial occlusive disease, and it would help discover new prophylactic treatments.