Blood viscosity is a measure of the resistance of blood to flow due to any stress. Changes in the concentration of one or more blood protein fractions will result in a change in viscosity. Blood or serum viscosity can, therefore, be used both as a diagnostic tool for the presence of diseases known to alter the proteins and as a measure of the extent of the condition.
Normal range: 1.10 " “1.80 cP (relative to water).
Use
Evaluate hyperviscosity syndrome associated with monoclonal gammopathy states (myeloma, Waldenstr ƒ ¶m macroglobulinemia, and other dysproteinemias), including RA, SLE, and hyperfibrinogenemia.
Interpretation
Increased In
Increased leukocyte count
Thrombocytosis
Hyperlipoproteinemia
Macroglobulinemia
Sj ƒ ¶gren syndrome
SLE
Lymphoproliferative disorders
Hyperglobulinemia associated with cirrhosis
Chronic active hepatitis
Acute thermal burns
Decreased In
No clinical significance
Limitations
Whole blood measurement is of limited use because of differences in shear rates between instrumentation and in vivo conditions.
Clinical symptoms do not correlate well with test results.