ABSTRACT
AIM: To give impedance characteristics of erythrocytes in bronchial asthma (BA) and to determine the relation between the impedance parameters and specific features of the membrane-receptor complex reflecting the condition of cell membrane lipid matrix. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 164 patients with BA. 19 patients with preasthma, 21 normal blood relatives of BA patients and 36 healthy controls were examined. Parameters of electrical impedance (capacity and temperature-dependent) were measured by modified method of S. Takashima et al. (1988). Peculiarities of low-temperature hyperosmolarity hemolysis were studied before and after modulation with adrenergic and lipotropic agents. RESULTS: Atopic BA was characterized by increased erythrocyte electrical capacity and inversion of adrenaline and obzidan effects on electrical impedance, initially high erythrocyte resistance to low-temperature hyperosmolarity effects. Bacterial asthma demonstrated the opposite trend in both impedance and hemolysis parameters. CONCLUSION: There is low erythrocyte membrane microviscosity in atopic BA, but high microviscosity in bacterial asthma. Basing on these findings the authors propose to use essential phospholipids in the treatment of bacterial BA.