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Hyperviscosity Syndrome

The term "viscosity" describes the degree of fluidity of liquids. Let us compare water to cooking oil. Oil is thicker than water. Honey is much thicker than both water and oil. Hence, the viscosity of oil is higher than water.

Blood is thicker and more viscous than water. In certain situations, when there is excess of certain proteins, blood can become thicker, more viscous, than what it should normally be. This is referred to as Hyperviscosity Syndrome. The thicker the blood, the more difficult it is to move in the vessels.

It can happen in patients with:

• Waldenström's Macroglobulinemia,

• Multiple Myeloma

• Polycythemia

Signs and symptoms:

The thicker the blood becomes, the more difficult will its movement be in the vessels of our body. As a result, there will be less oxygen transferred to the vital organs, such as brain, lungs, etc. Patients may suffer from any of the following:

• Dizziness

• Shortness of breath

• Tiredness, sleepiness

• Confusion

Treatment:

The underlying disease has to be treated appropriately, along with the removal of the abnormal protein from the blood. This is achieved by a procedure called "Plasmapheresis."

In this procedure, the patient is connected to a machine to remove the abnormal protein from the blood. One or two needles are placed into the arm and blood flows from one site into the machine, and is returned back into the other site. Response to Plasmapheresis is almost immediate.