Rheological properties of the blood and changes of oscillations in skin temperature after cold test in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

V. Paskova, N. Antonova, N. Chaushev, I. Velcheva

Abstract: The aim of the study is to compare the rheological properties of blood in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus with a control group of healthy subjects and to assess the dynamics of changes of the oscillations in skin temperature corresponding to the myogenic, neurogenic and endothelial regulation of the skin vascular tone during indirect cold test in the both groups. The variations of the skin surface temperature with time were determined using a Microtest device (000”Вектор-ПМ”, Perm, Russia). Wavelet analysis was used to study the skin temperature fluctuations caused by periodic changes in blood flow resulting from oscillations in vasomotor smooth muscle tone. A rotational viscometer Contraves LS 30 (Switzerland) was used to measure whole blood viscosity (WBV) at shear rates from 0, 0237 s-1 to 128,5 s-1 in both groups. Other basic hemorheological determinants as hematocrit (Ht), hemoglobin (Hb), mean cell volume (MCV) and red blood cells count (RBC) were evaluated too. The whole blood viscosity was increased in the entire range of shear rates in the patients with type 2 diabetes when compared to the control subjects. A difference in the response to the cold stress between the patients with type 2 diabetes and the control group subjects was found. Since the reaction reflects the fluctuations of the peripheral vascular tone, the study could contribute to clarify the mechanisms of disturbance of the peripheral circulation.

Keywords: skin temperature oscillations; Type 2 diabetes mellitus; wavelet analysis; whole blood viscosity

Date published: 2015-12-10