Abnormal plasma and serum viscosity in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE): a Jamaican study.

Vascular complications occur frequently in SLE, and their development may be related to haemorheological derangements. However, the range of rheological abnormality in Jamaican SLE patients have not been studied. The present investigation was aimed at determining the changes in the three major blood proteins, namely fibrinogen, albumin and globulin, and their effect on plasma and serum viscosity in SLE patients during the course of treatment. The concentrations of fibrinogen and globulin were significantly increased (p<0.001), while albumin was decreased (p<0.05) in the SLE patients as compared with the control group. This increase in the fibrinogen and globulin contributed significantly to the rise of both serum and plasma viscosity. SLE patients with more severe disease had higher serum viscosity values, suggesting that serum viscosity values may provide an important marker for disease severity.