Influence of age factors on the rheological properties of blood in healthy subjects and those with vascular disease

: The main hemorheological factors (whole blood and plasma viscosity, hematocrit, erythrocyte aggregation and filterability, plasma fibrinogen concentration) have been examined in apparently healthy subjects and in vascular patients divided into different groups of age. Whereas in healthy subjects a progressive alteration of the hemorheological factors has been observed from adult to senile age, in vascular patients a similar behavior resulted only from the comparison between subjects of the 7th and the 8th decade of age and subjects of the 6th decade, while no significant changes were found between patients of the 7th decade and patients of the 8th decade of age.