Assay Overview

Our laboratory utilizes a calibrated glass system designed to test the viscosity of any fluid.  This instrument is intended to be used to monitor changes in the amount of solids in blood plasma.  Changes in viscosity can result from variations in one or more of the components present in the blood, including plasma proteins or the cellular content in the blood.

Hyperviscosity syndromes are well-established as a class of conditions that can arise in a wide variety of disease states, including polycythemia vera, dysproteinemias, myeloma, leukemia, and sickle cell anemia.  Traditionally, hyperviscosity syndromes include syndromes of serum hyperviscosity where patients may experience bleeding and neurologic or ocular disorders; syndromes of polycythemic hyperviscosity that result in reduced blood flow or capillary perfusion and increased organ congestion; and syndromes of hyperviscosity caused by reduced deformability of red blood cells as in sickle cell anemia.