Rheological Changes During the Atrial Fibrillation

BACKGROUNDAccording to recent estimates atrial fibrillation (AF) affects approximately 1% of the global population with the tendency to grow over the next 50 years.Despite significant advances in the diagnosis and management of AF, it remains one of the biggest challenges for modern medicine.OBJECTIVES To better understand of pathological processes underlying AF, we aimed to access relations between hemodynamic and rheological properties of blood in patients with different forms of AF.METHODS The erythrocyte (RBC) aggregation index (EAI), erythrocyte (RBC) deformability index EDI), and plasma viscosity (Vpl) were measured in 70 patients with AF and 20 healthy individuals using a textural analysis system (Tas-Plus, Leitz, Germany) and innovative "Georgian technique" with the unique function of a quantitative assessment of the RBC aggregation index. RESULTSThe mean erythrocyte (RBC) aggregation index (EAI), erythrocyte (RBC) deformability index (EDI), and plasma viscosity (PV) were statistically higher in patients with paroxysmal, persistent, and permanent AF compared to the healthy controls; however, there were no significant differences between different groups of patients with AF.CONCLUSIONS The findings of our investigation lead us to believe that disturbances in the hemorheological system play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of AF.These suggest that RBC aggregation is an essential factor in the progression of AF and requires constant monitoring for early prevention and adequate management of the disease. KEYWORDS Atrial fibrillation (AF); erythrocyte (RBC) aggregation index (EAI); erythrocyte (RBC) deformability index (EDI); hemorheology; plasma viscosity (PV).