| capillary fragility | The lack of resistance, or susceptibility, of capillaries to damage or disruption under conditions of increased stress. (12 Dec 1998) |
|---|---|
| capillary fragility test | A tourniquet test used to determine presence of vitamin C deficiency or thrombocytopenia; a circle 2.5 cm in diameter, the upper edge of which is 4 cm below the crease of the elbow, is drawn on the inner aspect of the forearm, pressure midway between the systolic and diastolic blood pressure is applied above the elbow for 15 minutes, and a count of petechiae within the circle is made: 10, normal; 10 to 20, marginal zone; over 20, abnormal. See: Rumpel-Leede test. Synonym: capillary resistance test, vitamin C test. (05 Mar 2000) |
| osmotic fragility | The susceptibility, or lack of resistance, of erythrocytes to haemolysis when exposed to increasingly hypotonic saline solutions. (12 Dec 1998) |
| fragility | Brittleness; liability to break, burst, or disintegrate. Synonym: fragilitas. Origin: L. Fragilitas (05 Mar 2000) |
| fragility of the blood | The susceptibility, or lack of resistance, of erythrocytes to haemolysis when exposed to increasingly hypotonic saline solutions. (12 Dec 1998) |
| fragility test | A test that measures the resistance of erythrocytes to haemolysis in hypotonic saline solutions; erythrocytes to be tested are added to varying concentrations of saline (usually ranging from 0.85 to 0.10% sodium chloride with 0.05% increments), and beginning and complete haemolysis are measured; normal erythrocytes show initial haemolysis at concentrations of 0.45 to 0.39% and complete haemolysis at 0.33 to 0.30%; in hereditary spherocytosis the fragility of the erythrocytes is markedly increased, whereas in thalassaemia, sickle cell anaemia, and obstructive jaundice the fragility of the erythrocytes is usually reduced. Synonym: erythrocyte fragility test. (05 Mar 2000) |
| rate, erythrocyte sedimentation | A sedimentation rate, or sed rate , is a blood test that detects and is used to monitor inflammation activity. It is measured by recording the rate at which red blood cells (rbcs) sediment in a tube over time. It increases (the rbcs sediment faster) with more inflammation. (12 Dec 1998) |
| erythrocyte | A red blood cell. (18 Nov 1997) |
| erythrocyte adherence phenomenon | A phenomenon manifested by the adherence of antigen-antibody-complement complex to "indicator cells" (microorganisms, platelets, leukocytes, or erythrocytes), the reaction being sensitive and specific for the antigen and antibody in the complex. Synonym: erythrocyte adherence phenomenon, immune adherence phenomenon, red cell adherence phenomenon. (05 Mar 2000) |
| erythrocyte aggregation | Aggregation of erythrocytes probably resulting from changes in the negative surface charge (zeta potential) of the cells caused by the dielectric effect of proteins in the surrounding plasma, especially asymmetric macromolecules like fibrinogen and gamma-globulin. (12 Dec 1998) |
| erythrocyte aggregation, intravascular | The massing or clumping of erythrocytes in intact blood vessels in response to injury or in certain diseases, interfering with adequate blood flow. It is also called sludging of blood and intravascular agglutination. (12 Dec 1998) |
| erythrocyte aging | Senescence of the red blood cell. Lacking the organelles that make protein synthesis possible, the mature erythrocyte is incapable of self-repair, reproduction, and carrying out certain functions performed by other cells. This limits the average life span of an erythrocyte to 120 days. (12 Dec 1998) |
| erythrocyte count | A count of the number of red blood cells per unit volume in a sample of venous blood. (12 Dec 1998) |
| erythrocyte deformability | Ability of erythrocytes to change shape as they pass through narrow spaces, such as the microvasculature. (12 Dec 1998) |
| erythrocyte ghost | <cell biology> The membrane and cytoskeletal elements of the erythrocyte devoid of cytoplasmic contents, but preserving the original morphology. (18 Nov 1997) |