The concomitant appearance of aggregated erythrocytes, leukocytes and platelets in the peripheral blood of patients with risk factors for atherothrombosis

Risk factors for atherothrombosis including increased leukocyte count, hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus, hypertension as well as smoldering inflammation and hyperfibrinogenemia might affect the aggregability of peripheral blood erythrocytes, leukocytes as well as platelets. We have used a simple slide test and image analysis to reveal the presence of these aggregabilities obtained in one single drop of peripheral venous citrated blood in 48 individuals with risk factors for atherothrombosis. A significant correlation was noted between the state of adhesiveness/aggregation of all the above mentioned three cellular elements and the concentrations of total and LDL cholesterol. The correlation with triglycerides concentrations was more modest. A significant reduction of adhesiveness/aggregation was noted in 18 individuals following an intervention to reduce the concentration of cholesterol and triglycerides. This reduction might have a favorable hemorheologic effect. Our results are significant in that they show that it is possible to detect the above mentioned changes in whole blood, following a single step and minimal manipulations, at real time and low cost.