Cerebral Blood Flow Velocity,Erythrocyte Deformability and Alcohol Intake

The aim of the study was to determine if there is a relationship between low blood flow velocity in the cerebral arteries and erythrocyte deformability in heavy alcohol drinkers. The study comprised 47 heavy alcohol drinkers (mean age 47 years). All of them drank daily more than 84 g of alcohol (84–400 g). Blood flow velocity (V _mean) in intracranial arteries was determined by transcranial Doppler. Erythrocyte membrane biophysical properties were estimated using the method of cation-osmotic haemolysis (COH). The present study revealed a significant decrease in V _mean in all examined arteries, with p= <0.01 in the middle (MCA) and posterior (PCA) cerebral arteries and p= <0.05 in the anterior cerebral artery (ACA) when compared with age-matched controls. Cation-osmotic haemolysis in the low ionic strength of the incubating medium (15.4 mmol/l NaCl) as well as in the high ionic strength (123.2–154.0 mmol/l NaCl) was significantly decreased (p<0.001–0.01). This means that changes in both parts of the erythrocyte membrane (actin–spectrin complex and membrane lipid bilayer) are the cause of decreased erythrocyte deformability. We conclude that one of the factors which can cause low blood flow velocity (a possible risk factor for stroke) is decreased cation-osmotic haemolysis of erythrocytes.