[Interrelation of the rheological properties of the blood and the state of central hemodynamics in patients with a stable form of hypertension].

A study of 44 patients with second-stage essential hypertension (15 males and 29 females) demonstrated a significant positive correlation between packed cell volume and mean arterial BP (r = 0.794; p less than 0.001), packed cell volume and total peripheral resistance (r = 0.642; p less than 0.01), whole blood viscosity and mean arterial BP (r = 0.639; p less than 0.01), blood viscosity and total peripheral resistance (r = 0.512; p less than 0.05), and a significant negative correlation between packed cell volume and blood viscosity, on the one hand, and minute volume of the heart, on the other (r = -0.533; p less than 0.05, and r = -0.460; p less than 0.05), respectively). This may be due to both mechanical resistance to blood flow on the part of excessively viscous blood and reduced oxygen transport in blood of increased viscosity.