BACKGROUND: Atherosclerosis is accompanied by a low grade inflammatory response. HYPOTHESIS: To use erythrocyte aggregability as a biomarker to exclude the presence of low grade inflammatory response in apparently healthy individuals. METHODS: The adhesiveness/aggregation of red blood cells was quantitated by using a simple slide test and image analysis. RESULTS: We included 121 apparently healthy individuals and found a significant correlation between the degree of erythrocyte adhesiveness/aggregation and either the concentration of high sensitive CRP (r = 0.6, P < 0.001), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (r = 0.5, P < 0.0001) or fibrinogen (r = 0.5, P < 0.0001). By using certain cutoff points for the erythrocyte adhesiveness/aggregation test we could define individuals with a very low grade inflammatory response. CONCLUSIONS: By using this inexpensive and rapid assessment, we could clearly discriminate between individuals with a very low inflammatory response and those with a more intense one. This biomarker should be further evaluated as a possible screening test for use in large populations of apparently healthy individuals in whom the detection of low grade inflammation might contribute to guiding appropriate lifestyle modifications and therapeutic interventions. Copyright 2002 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
BACKGROUND:Atherosclerosis is accompanied by a low grade inflammatory response. HYPOTHESIS: To use erythrocyte aggregability as a biomarker to exclude the presence of low grade inflammatory response in apparently healthy individuals. METHODS: The adhesiveness/aggregation of red blood cells was quantitated by using a simple slide test and image analysis. RESULTS: We included 121 apparently healthy individuals and found a significant correlation between the degree of erythrocyte adhesiveness/aggregation and either the concentration of high sensitive CRP (r = 0.6, P < 0.001), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (r = 0.5, P < 0.0001) or fibrinogen (r = 0.5, P < 0.0001). By using certain cutoff points for the erythrocyte adhesiveness/aggregation test we could define individuals with a very low grade inflammatory response. CONCLUSIONS: By using this inexpensive and rapid assessment, we could clearly discriminate between individuals with a very low inflammatory response and those with a more intense one. This biomarker should be further evaluated as a possible screening test for use in large populations of apparently healthy individuals in whom the detection of low grade inflammation might contribute to guiding appropriate lifestyle modifications and therapeutic interventions. Copyright 2002 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins