TY - JOUR T1 - Haematological stress syndrome in atherosclerosis. JF - Journal of Clinical Pathology JO - J Clin Pathol SP - 464 LP - 467 DO - 10.1136/jcp.34.5.464 VL - 34 IS - 5 AU - J Stuart AU - A J George AU - A J Davies AU - A Aukland AU - R A Hurlow Y1 - 1981/05/01 UR - http://jcp.bmj.com/content/34/5/464.abstract N2 - Forty patients with atherosclerotic peripheral vascular disease, as compared to 29 healthy controls, showed a significant increase in platelet number and activity, a neutrophil leucocytosis, and a raised level of several acute-phase reactant proteins (fibrinogen, antithrombin III, factor VIII, and serum globulin). The hyperproteinaemia was associated with increases in plasma-, serum-, and blood-viscosity and is the likely cause of the hyperviscosity of vascular disease. These multiple haemostatic abnormalities closely resemble the non-specific, haematological stress-syndrome response to acute and chronic inflammatory disorders. In atherosclerosis also they may represent a non-specific, secondary response and neither be of aetiological significance nor reflect continuing low-grade intravascular coagulation. ER -