Study: Lupus Patients With History of Heart Attack or Stroke Shown to Have High Blood Viscosity
Rheologics Technologies, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: RTGI) (“Rheologics,” the “Company”), the leader in the study of blood viscosity and its relationship to cardiovascular and vascular diseases, announces the results of a study performed at the University of Chicago using the Rheolog(TM), the Company’s proprietary blood viscometer. The research demonstrated significantly higher blood viscosity in lupus patients with a history of heart attack or stroke over healthy controls and lupus patients with no history of cardiovascular events.
Lupus is an autoimmune disease where the body’s immune system attacks its own tissues. The most common form of the disease is systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), which is a chronic inflammatory condition that can affect the skin, joints, and almost any organ or system of the body, including the lungs, kidneys, heart, or brain. Approximately 1 million Americans are affected by lupus, with the vast majority of those affected being women between the ages of 15 and 45.
Led by Tammy O. Utset, MD, MPH, the University of Chicago study included 80 subjects divided into four groups: SLE patients with no history of a thrombotic event, SLE patients with a history of arterial thrombotic events (such as heart attack or stroke), SLE patients with a history of venous thrombotic events (such as deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism), and healthy controls frequency-matched for age, sex, BMI, tobacco usage history and race.
Using the Rheolog(TM), the researchers found that SLE patients with a history of heart attack or stroke had a significantly higher blood viscosity than any of the other groups, including SLE patients with a history of venous thrombotic events.
Kenneth Kensey, MD, founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Rheologics, said, “Arterial and venous events follow different thrombosis pathways. The thrombotic cascade in the vein is based on the principle of stagnant blood flow, while arterial thrombosis is a result of plaque that is ruptured by injurious and abrasive blood flow. Elevated blood viscosity quantifies the increased injurious frictional force of pathological blood flow.”
That a connection existed between lupus and cardiovascular disease has been known for some time. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in December 2003 showed that lupus patients had a 140 percent higher likelihood of having atherosclerosis (cardiovascular disease) over healthy patients with otherwise matched cardiovascular disease risk factors and demographic characteristics. The difference was even more dramatic for lupus patients 40 years of age or younger at a 480 percent higher risk of atherosclerosis over matched controls. However the reason behind this correlation has not yet been fully understood.
President of Rheologics Daniel Cho said, “Blood viscosity is a relatively well-accepted marker in rheumatology, and we are thrilled to see that the Rheolog(TM) may help in understanding the link between systemic lupus and the incidence of heart attack and stroke. I believe Dr. Utset’s study is extremely significant and may foreshadow the critical role that the Rheolog(TM) can play not only in the prediction of heart attack and stroke in lupus patients but also in the early diagnosis of cardiovascular disease in the general population.”
Dr. Utset presented her findings at the American College of Rheumatology National Scientific Meeting in 2006. The paper written by the University of Chicago research team was recently accepted for publication. She is using the Rheolog(TM) for her research in other rheumatological diseases including scleroderma.
Rheologics’ current diagnostic offering, called the Rheolog(TM), is an IDE-exempt device that measures whole blood viscosity, a basic human physiologic parameter, across a complete cardiac cycle. The Rheolog(TM) is being used in clinical research settings to aid physicians in the interpretation of disease conditions. At present, the technology has completed its beta stage and is being readied for commercialization. The Rheolog(TM) is also being used extensively for research in the development of therapeutic interventions that address the root cause of cardiovascular disease.
Atherosclerosis is the process responsible for cardiovascular disease by which fatty substances, cholesterol, calcium, and cellular waste deposit in the inner lining of an artery. It is a disease that affects 62 million Americans and kills nearly one million per year, most often as a result of heart attacks or strokes.
About Rheologics
Rheologics Technologies, Inc. is committed to developing and commercializing innovative medical products that significantly improve the diagnosis and treatment of human disease and that assist in the development of new drug compounds. The Company is accomplishing its mission by monitoring an overlooked basic physiological parameter — whole blood viscosity. Rheologics believes that its proprietary innovations will ultimately enable the preventative diagnosis of diseases and the development of new cost-effective therapies that conquer today’s most difficult medical problems, thereby improving the quality of life for millions of people worldwide. Further information on Rheologics may be found at www.rheologics.com.
Contact Company: Rheologics Technologies, Inc. Daniel Cho 800-969-2585 Contact via http://www.marketwire.com/mw/emailprcntct?id=7D48FD623F516598 Investor Relations: ISD, Inc. Jody Janson 585-232-5440 Contact via http://www.marketwire.com/mw/emailprcntct?id=96FAFD62CCAEF3A5 www.istockdaily.com
SOURCE: Rheologics Technologies, Inc.