EFFECTS OF ALLOXAN-INDUCED DIABETES ON HEMORHEOLOGY IN RABBITS

Plasma viscosity (PV), apparent whole blood viscosity (WBV), relative blood viscosity (RV) and erythrocyte deformability (filterability) (EDF) were determined in 13 New Zealand White (NZW) rabbits with alloxan induced-diabetes (AID) and 8 normal NZW rabbits, matched for age, sex and weight. AID rabbits were divided into two groups depending on the duration of hyperglycemia (long-term, > 6.0 months (n = 7), and short-term, less-than-or-equal-to 3.0 months of hyperglycemia, n = 6). Comparing long-term AID rabbits to normal animals, we found significant increases in WBV (P < 0.001, 0.005 for high and low rates of shear, respectively), and a marked reduction in EDF (P < 0.001). There was no significant difference in PV between long-term AID and normal rabbits. Conversely, PV was significantly increased in rabbits with short-term diabetes (P < 0.01) while there was a concurrent significant increase in WBV measured at high and low rates of shear (P < 0.00 1, 0.00 1, respectively). No difference was detected in EDF between normal and short-term AID rabbits. Furthermore, in long-term AID rabbits there was a strongly positive correlation between RV and reduced erythrocyte deformability (r = 0.94, P = 0.006) while WBV strongly correlated with PV (r = 0.92, P = 0.004) in the short-term AID subgroup. We conclude from these data: (1) elevated blood viscosity in long term AID rabbits is associated with reduced erythrocyte filterability; and (2) elevated WBV in short-term AID rabbits is associated with increased PV.