Coronary lipid deposition during chronic anemia or high altitude exposure.

Abstract

Experimental anemia and polycythemia were studied in hypercholesteremic rats. The following results were noted: a) chronic anemia favors a significant increase in endocardial and coronary lipid deposition; b) rats made polycythemic by prolonged exposure to simulated high altitudes also had a marked degree of coronary involvement but no apparent increase in endocardial sudanophilia; whereas c) sea-level cobalt polycythemia does not appear to favor an increase in coronary or endocardial sudanophilia, suggesting that d) polycythemia, per se, does not favor an increase in lipid deposition at these sites. These findings suggest that tissue hypoxia may account for the above increases in coronary sudanophilia, while changes in endocardial sudanophilia appear to be related more closely to the circulating cholesterol for all the groups. Submitted on May 16, 1960