Blebbing of the Lymphocyte Plasma Membrane as a Pathogenetic Marker of Critical Ischemia of the Lower Extremities

Abstract

The increasing interest in studying obliterating atherosclerosis of vessels of the lower extremities (OAVLE) has been triggered by the growing incidence of the disease and the need for a multidisciplinary approach to diagnostics and treatment of OAVLE. Patients with OAVLE had the following tests: lipid profile, the state of the coagulation component of hemostasis, total homocysteine, the state of arterial lumens, and blebbing of the lymphocyte plasma membrane. The patients were divided into two groups: Group 1 (30 patients) – patients with class IIB ischemia, according to Pokrovsky-Fontaine’s classification, and Group 2 (30 patients) – patients with critical ischemia of the lower extremities. The tests revealed a strong positive correlation between the total blebbing of lymphocytes and the development of critical ischemia (rS=0.85, p<0.001) and a very strong positive correlation between the number of lymphocytes in the state of terminal blebbing and the development of critical ischemia (rS=0.96, p<0.001). Other significant factors were a decrease in LPHD, an increase in total homocysteine, and development of hypercoagulation. The data obtained in the present study confirm the importance of assessing the blebbing of the lymphocyte plasma membrane in patients with critical ischemia of the lower extremities