Effect of geomagnetic storms upon blood sedimentation dynamics in ischemic heart disease patients

The sedimentation properties of blood of 13 ischemic heart disease patients and 2 healthy volunteers have been analyzed using a special computerized optical device for high temporal resolution tracing of red blood/plasma boundary movement rate (ESR-graphy). The kinetic curves of red blood sedimentation are substantially nonmonotonic and exhibit multiple accelerations, decelerations and even backwards movement of the red blood/plasma boundary. The intensity of blood sedimentation rate oscillations is significantly higher in the blood of patients and voluteers on days of enhanced geomagnetic activity than on quiet days. In healthy donors, blood oscillations were also observed on active geomagnetic days, however, their intensity was lower, the sedimentation rate started to oscillate after a longer time upon pipette installation, and the oscillation frequency was lower than in the patients' blood. Thus, blood is highly responsive to changes in geomagnetic field activity. Possibly oscillatory behavior mechanism of blood sedimentation rate and the diagnostic and prognostic merits of the ESR graphs are discussed.