![]() Physical and chemical properties of blood characterized by density of blood, viscosity, osmotic pressure. Blood maintains osmotic pressure and acid-base balance. Blood protects the body through white blood cells, antibodies and a buffer system, participates in the regulation of body functions and chemical processes thanks to its ability to transmit hormones. Blood plays an important role in the process of respiration, transporting O2 from the lungs to cells and tissues, and bringing CO2 from the cells to the lungs to be eliminated. The main functions of blood are protection, excretion, regulation and nutrition. Blood circulates inside the veins and arteries and performs many important physiological functions. Blood tissue consists of blood cells called red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, and extracellular fluid called plasma. Overly viscous blood is an underappreciated risk factor.Blood is a red liquid tissue, salty taste, formed together with the vascular system, is an important organizational component of the body, the volume of blood is 1/13 of the body weight. If your hematocrit is over fifty and you are not an athlete, consider getting a test for sleep apnea. If you’re not an athlete, consider lowering your hematocrit to at least forty-seven to decrease stress on the arterial wall. If you are an athlete and your hematocrit is above 50 percent, donate to your blood bank to get it down to no higher than 50 percent in order to decrease stress on the arterial wall. The more red cells you have, the higher your hematocrit will be. Hematocrit is the percentage of red blood cells in a given volume of blood. ![]() The more viscous your blood is, the more frictional and mechanical damage you will get. ![]() Too many red blood cells can also raise your blood pressure. The virtual forces of blood increase considerably after hematocrit reaches forty-seven with levels over fifty being of particular concern. One common way is a test that looks at packed red blood cell volume called hematocrit. Frictional forces become very important in people with a condition called “polycythemia.” Polycythemia simply means “too many red blood cells.” We measure this in different ways. Cardiac surgeons use veins to bypass arterial arteries filled with plaque because the veins are usually in good shape. Shear stress and turbulence may promote plaque formation, especially at sites within the coronary arteries, the major branches of the thoracic and abdominal aorta, the large vessels of the lower extremities, and the carotid arteries (Boudi 2006).Why do we not get plaque in our veins? We do not see plaque in our veins because the pressure and frictional forces are much lower there. Atherosclerotic plaque characteristically occurs in regions of turbulence, such as branching and curvature, and where blood undergoes sudden changes in velocity or direction of flow. I believe, as do some of my colleagues, these factors cause the initial damage that leads to endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis. The frictional forces of blood create something called “shear stress.” Shear stress refers to the arterial damage caused by thick blood or very turbulent blood flow (Becker 1993). This is because of differences in the turbulence of blood flow and blood viscosity. To find out if you have thick blood, get a blood viscosity test.Ītherosclerosis does not develop in random locations. You want the right grade of blood-not too thick or thin. Winter-grade oil is less viscous because oil becomes thicker in cold temperatures. ![]() Summer-grade oil is made to be more viscous because heat makes the oil thinner. Another analogy is the viscosity of summer- versus winter-grade oil. When the heart is resting between beats it becomes more viscous (thick or solid), and then when the heart pumps blood through the body it becomes less viscous. Once you get it moving, it really moves fast. Blood behaves much like ketchup coming out of a bottle. ![]() Blood behaves more like a solid at low speeds but behaves more like a liquid at fast speeds. Evidence suggests that increased blood viscosity is an independent risk factor for atherosclerotic heart disease and its complications (Becker 1993). ![]()
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