September 16, 2025 - Complete blood count (CBC) to measure the levels of all blood components, including red blood cells, white blood cells and proteins. Creatinine test to evaluate kidney function. Liver function test to evaluate liver proteins. Serum viscosity or whole blood viscosity tests to evaluate blood thickness.

May 15, 2018 - In adults, hyperviscosity syndrome typically causes symptoms when blood viscosity is between 6 and 7, measured relative to saline, but it can be lower.

March 13, 2023 - Viscosity is formally defined as measuring a fluid's internal resistance to flow but can be thought of as the "thickness" or "stickiness" of a fluid. When fluid has low viscosity, it travels quickly and without much difficulty. Viscous fluids are thicker and travel more slowly. HVS is a pathological condition in which blood is "thicker" than normal, reducing flow.

In fact, increasing the hematocrit from 40 to 60% (a 50% increase) increases the relative viscosity from 4 to 8 (a 100% increase). Increased viscosity increases the resistance to blood flow and increases the work of the heart and impairs organ perfusion. Some patients with anemia have low hematocrits, and therefore reduced blood viscosities.

June 1, 2012 - Blood viscosity plays an important role in maintaining vascular homeostasis. Under normal physiological conditions, blood viscosity is kept at a relatively stable level by a variety of regulatory mechanisms. However, under pathological conditions, disorders in these regulatory mechanisms mediated by endothelial cell dysfunction result in the pathogenesis and development of certain diseases, such as cardio-cerebrovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, and hemorrhagic shock.

In fact, in vivo, blood flows more easily than its viscosity and complex composition would indicate. An increase in red blood cells is called polycythemia; a decrease signifies anemia. In an anemic patient the cellular volume falls and consequently the viscosity of the blood decreases.

Bacterial infections associated with MI include community-acquired pneumonia, meningitis, pelvic inflammatory disease, staphylococcal septicemia with meningoencephalitis, and gingivitis [15-19]; 7-8% of inpatients with pneumococcal pneumonia develop MI [20]. Thus, MI is a significant complication of severe pneumonia. MI is also noted in association with infections with both bacterial and viral etiologies such as rhinosinusitis and exudative pharyngitis [21,22]. It is also reported in association with influenza and malaria [23,24]. Vaccination for influenza appears to decrease the risk of MI [23]. Increased blood viscosity due to the acute phase reaction is a plausible explanation for these associations.

July 14, 2025 - Certain diseases, such as sickle cell anemia, reduce red blood cell deformability, leading to secondary increases in blood viscosity. Red blood cell aggregation: Proteins like fibrinogen, globulins, very-low-density lipoproteins, and circulating immune complexes can cause red blood cells to clump, forming rouleaux that impede blood flow and increase viscosity.

February 3, 2025 - Abnormal levels—whether excessively high or unusually low—can disrupt blood flow and increase the risk of conditions such as heart attacks, strokes, or chronic fatigue. A blood viscosity test is particularly useful for individuals with a history of cardiovascular disease, clotting disorders, or unexplained symptoms like dizziness or numbness. In addition to diagnosing specific conditions, this test is valuable for monitoring the effectiveness of treatments, such as blood thinners or medications that influence blood flow.

March 30, 2018 - Plasma proteins (e.g., fibrinogen), RBC aggregation, and cell deformability also shape flow—especially at lower shear rates. Diastolic (low-shear) viscosity often tracks clinical risk more closely than hematocrit alone. ... Blood pressure = force within arteries (hemodynamic pressure).

October 8, 2012 - Earlier, More Accurate Prediction of Cardiovascular Event Risk Pushpa Larsen, ND Ralph Holsworth, DO, recently shared a story with me about […]

However, in sickle cell disease (SCD) vascular function is impaired. In this context, any increase in blood viscosity can promote vaso-occlusive like events. We previously showed that sickle cell patients with high blood viscosity usually have more frequent vaso-occlusive crises than those with low blood viscosity.

3 weeks ago - Blood becomes less viscous at high shear rates like those experienced with increased flow such as during exercise or in peak-systole. Therefore, blood is a shear-thinning fluid. Contrarily, blood viscosity increases when shear rate goes down with increased vessel diameters or with low flow, such as downstream from an obstruction or in diastole.

September 22, 2025 - Normal plasma viscosity is between 1.4 and 1.8 centipoise while symptoms from hyperviscosity typically occur greater than 4 centipoise (about 4 times more viscous than water) and require emergency treatment. Patients will also have evidence of their underlying disorder. Those with myeloma will typically display a rouleaux formation on a peripheral smear and a large globulin gap, indicative of a significant paraprotein load.

May 1, 2001 - We planned a study to research the relations among blood pressure (BP), viscosity, and temperature in healthy subjects and among BP, viscosity, and glucose in diabetics. With simple random sampling method, 53 healthy and 29 diabetes mellitus (DM) type II subjects were selected.

However, blood viscosity plays its most important role in the microcirculation where it contributes significantly to peripheral resistance and may cause sludging in the postcapillary venules. Apart from the direct haemodynamic significance, an increase in blood viscosity at low shear by red blood cell aggregation is also associated with increased thrombotic risk, as has been demonstrated in atrial fibrillation.

April 26, 2025 - Hyperviscosity syndrome is a condition that occurs when your blood becomes so thick that your body's overall blood flow decreases. Hyperviscosity can be caused by your blood cells changing shape or by an increase in serum proteins, red blood cells, white blood cells, or platelets.

Results demonstrate the association among low viscosity, haemoglobin, haematocrit and diabetic retinopathy. The mechanisms responsible for this association can be hypothesised. Reduced haemoglobin might cause direct organ damage. Low blood viscosity, through the reduction of shear stress, might inhi …

Larger increases of Hct (>19% of ... a significant viscosity-dependent increase in vascular resistance, causing MAP to rise above baseline values. it is a general medical and clinical perception that an increase in blood viscosity may lead to short- and long-term negative physiological conditions, and there appears to be universal agreement that increased blood viscosity is a factor in hypertension. Lowering blood viscosity, ...

March 20, 2018 - Blood viscosity is the only biological marker that has been associated with all other major cardiovascular risk factors, including high blood pressure, elevated LDL cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol, Type II Diabetes, metabolic syndrome, obesity, smoking, chronological age, and male gender. In the largest blood viscosity study ever conducted, nearly 1600 adults were studied for an average of five years. This study found that blood viscosity was significantly higher in patients experiencing heart attacks and strokes.