Key result
The relationship between increased blood viscosity and atherogenesis remains debated, with recent hypotheses suggesting small increases in viscosity may have vasodilatory effects.
The paper highlights an ongoing debate regarding whether small increases in blood viscosity might actually improve tissue perfusion through vasodilatory effects, challenging the traditional view of hyperviscosity as purely detrimental.
Does not yet alter clinical views on viscosity in atherosclerosis; leaves open vasodilatory hypothesis for targeted investigation.
The role of viscosity, and of interindividual variations in this parameter, in the pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease remain incompletely understood. Any speculation regarding the possible impact of "hemorheological" therapies is therefore even more complex. In the last years, the debate regarding the relationship between increased viscosity and atherogenesis has been opened again. While the traditional view postulates that an increased blood viscosity has invariably a negative impact on tissue perfusion and therefore should be considered as a risk factor (when not as a true disease), a more recent hypothesis has been formulated based on the observation that small increases in viscosity actually have vasodilatory effects, potentially improving tissue perfusion.
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Forconi et al. (2011) conducted a review in Cardiovascular disease. Blood viscosity was evaluated. The relationship between increased blood viscosity and atherogenesis remains debated, with recent hypotheses suggesting small increases in viscosity may have vasodilatory effects.
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