Erythrocyte filtrability and oxyhemoglobin dissociation in hypertensive patients.

Twenty one patients with essential hypertension were studied. A significant decrease (p < 0.05) of hemoglobin oxygen affinity and a marked reduction (p < 0.001) of erythrocyte filtrability was detected. The results suggest an abnormality of the erythrocyte deformability in the microcirculation of the hypertensive patients, which implies a shift to the right of the oxyhemoglobin dissociation curve as a means of adaptation to the relative tissue hypoxia.