Question regarding RBC Deformability

[nryanh94]

Would the red blood cell deformability be noticeable on a common blood test or has it only been recognized at Stanford using a special test?

I ask because my Dr said that my RBC shape looked completely normal

 

[ljimbo423]

Would the red blood cell deformability be noticeable on a common blood test or has it only been recognized at Stanford using a special test?

I ask because my Dr said that my RBC shape looked completely normal

I am not certain but I think it's the "flexibility" that's the problem not the shape. They aren't as flexible as they need to be to get into tiny blood capillaries.

Maybe somebody else can confirm this.

 

[Carl]

I am not certain but I think it's the "flexibility" that's the problem not the shape. They aren't as flexible as they need to be to get into tiny blood capillaries.

Maybe somebody else can confirm this.

From my limited understanding that sounds highly likely. I will add that I believe that the cause could well be because of lack of phospholipids need to form cell membranes which changes their function in multiple ways not least of which is their deformability. This will be due to the extremely high detox load on the liver and lack of choline needed for the phase 2 liver detox processes. Lack of acetylcholine is another consequence and resulting constipation and memory problems. The majority of choline intake gets used up for more essential functions ie Liver detoxification leaving insufficient for other less essential functions acetylcholine production and cell membrane phospholipids.

Just an idea so do not take it as gospel.

The underlying cause is Increased Digestive Permeability.

 

[Sad Dad]

"We observed from various measures of deformability that the RBCs isolated from ME/CFS patients were significantly stiffer than those from healthy controls." Red blood cell deformability is diminished in patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

In response to the original question, "In this study, we tested the hypothesis that deformability of RBCs is significantly altered in ME/CFS compared to normal population, using a high-throughput microfluidic device and high-speed microscopy." Therefore, I doubt your doctor is going to see the difference just looking at a blood sample under a microscope.

 

[kangaSue]

I asked my GP about this recently. He said they can determine if cells are miss-shapen from a standard blood test but not if the cells will be lacking in deformability and he thought that was only something typically only assessed in a research setting.

 

[Wishful]

A biomarker for risk of dying from Covid-19 has been reported.

"We were surprised to find that one standard test that quantifies the variation in size of red blood cells – called red cell distribution width, or RDW – was highly correlated with patient mortality, and the correlation persisted when controlling for other identified risk factors like patient age, some other lab tests, and some pre-existing illnesses," says co-author on the new study, Jonathan Carlson."

That made me wonder whether RDW correlates with deformability and/or ME.

 

[Pyrrhus]

That made me wonder whether RDW correlates with deformability and/or ME.

I believe Red Cell Distribution Width (RDW) refers to the variance in the size of red blood cells. A related concept is Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV), which refers the the average size of red blood cells. It is common to have both high RDW and high MCV.

High MCV has been linked to B12 deficiency.

 

[Wishful]

Yes, the RDW is about size, which doesn't necessarily say anything about deformability, but it is a common measurement of blood samples. If there was a correlation with ME, it could be useful. Maybe the combination of variance or the number of oversized RBCs might correlate with severity of ME symptoms, as the stiff oversized ones plug things up.

 

[Mary]

High MCV has been linked to B12 deficiency.

It's also associated with a folate deficiency. I've had a high MCV and benefit from both methylcobalamin and methylfolate.