Abstract
Introduction: Aggregation of red blood cells affects the efficiency of blood flow and oxygen delivery to tissues. This determines the importance of studying this parameter in patients with COPD and to seek correction in case of violations.
Aim: To study erythrocyte aggregation in patients with COPD during phototherapy with lamps with ceramic coating.
Methods: We studied 30 patients in stable phase of COPD (22 men and 8 women) aged 39-64 years, divided into 2 equal groups: 1st - after phototherapy for 10 days, 2nd - without phototherapy. Control group - 10 healthy men aged 40-58 years. Phototherapy was held with infrared light from ceramic-coated lamps of series KL, ZB and GI with wavelengths of 2-40 microns. Spontaneous aggregation of erythrocytes of venous blood was quantitatively evaluated by a special system of criteria for microphotographs of aggregates: the 1st group - before and after 10 days of phototherapy, while the 2nd and control groups - once.
Results: In the 1st group before the start of phototherapy erythrocyte aggregation was 8,4±1,99. After course of phototherapy it declined by 15,1% and amounted to 7,13±1,19 (p <0,05). It is by 16,4% less than in the 2nd group, where the index was 8,53±1,88. In both groups of COPD (after and without phototherapy), erythrocyte aggregation was higher than in healthy men (6,5±1,35). But after testing the differences between all 3 groups, a statistically significant difference (p <0,05) was detected only between the 2nd and control groups.
Conclusion: Erythrocyte aggregation increases in patients with COPD. During the 10-day course of treatment with infrared light from lamps with ceramic coating this indicator tended to normalize.
- © 2011 ERS
