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Inflammation-Related Erythrocyte Aggregation in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

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Abstract

Chronic inflammation is associated with increased erythrocyte adhesiveness/aggregation. This might have deleterious effects on the microcirculatory flow and tissue oxygenation. We aimed to determine the degree of erythrocyte adhesiveness/aggregation in the peripheral blood of individuals with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Fifty-two patients (24 women and 28 men) with ulcerative colitis (UC) at a mean age of 44.0 ± 16.8 years and 96 patients (44 women and 52 men) with Crohn’s disease (CD) at a mean age of 38.0 ± 15.5 years, with various degrees of disease activity, were matched to normal controls. A simple slide test and image analysis were used to determine the degree of erythrocyte adhesiveness/aggregation. CD activity index (CDAI) was determined in patients with CD, while clinical colitis activity index was applied for patients with UC. A significant (P < 0.0005) increment in the degree of erythrocyte adhesiveness/aggregation was noted in both groups of IBD patients compared with matched control groups. This increment was evident even in individuals with a low index of disease activity and during remission. The highly significant correlation with the concentrations of fibrinogen suggests that the degree of erythrocyte adhesiveness/aggregation is an inflammation-related phenomenon. An enhanced state of erythrocyte adhesiveness/aggregation was noted in the peripheral blood of patients with IBD. This might have a deleterious effect on intestinal microcirculatory flow and tissue oxygenation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Medicine “D”, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

    Liaz Zilberman MD, Ori Rogowski MD, Meirav Rozenblat MSc, Itzhak Shapira MD & Shlomo Berliner MD

  2. Departments of Emergency Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

    Jacob Serov MD & Pinhas Halpern MD

  3. Departments of Cancer Prevention, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

    Nadir Arber MD, MSc, MBA

  4. Gastroenterology Institute, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

    Iris Dotan MD

  5. Department of Cancer Prevention, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, 6 Weizman Street, Tel Aviv, 64239, Israel

    Nadir Arber MD, MSc, MBA

Authors
  1. Liaz Zilberman MD
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  2. Ori Rogowski MD
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  3. Meirav Rozenblat MSc
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  4. Itzhak Shapira MD
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  5. Jacob Serov MD
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  6. Pinhas Halpern MD
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  7. Iris Dotan MD
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  8. Nadir Arber MD, MSc, MBA
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  9. Shlomo Berliner MD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nadir Arber MD, MSc, MBA.

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Zilberman, L., Rogowski, O., Rozenblat, M. et al. Inflammation-Related Erythrocyte Aggregation in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Dig Dis Sci 50, 677–683 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-005-2556-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-005-2556-2

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