Whole blood filtration in diabetes: What is its clinical meaning?

Abstract

Many cross sectional studies of blood filtration and other rheological variables have now been carried out in diabetic patients. Most of these have shown impaired red cell or whole blood filtration in diabetics which several groups have found to be most striking in those individuals with circulatory and microcirculatory complications. However, these studies provide no indication as to whether diabetic complications are a consequence of altered rheology or whether both might be secondary to some metabolic or other disturbance. Further information on the importance of altered filtration in diabetics might be gained by careful prospective longitudinal studies in which rheological variables are observed in relation to the progression of microcirculatory disease.