[Erythrocyte filterability in diabetes mellitus (a survey carried out by two methods)].

In 45 diabetic patients (22 men and 23 women) subdivided in relation to type and vascular complications we have evaluated the erythrocyte filterability either by filtering whole blood (VRBC) or red blood cells suspended (5%) in autologous prefiltered plasma (deformability index). From the obtained results it is evident that VRBC is able to distinguish diabetic patients from normal subjects, whereas this does not happen with the deformability index. The explanation of these data is that the whole blood filterability, especially in diabetic patients, depends on the behavior of both cellular and plasmatic extraerythrocyte parameters.