How are blood viscosity and blood pressure related?

Like blood pressure, the viscosity of blood changes during each cardiac cycle and is reported using two numerical quantities: systolic and diastolic viscosity. However, while blood pressure is parameter of the circulatory system as a whole, blood viscosity is a parameter specific to the fluid flowing through the system. read more

Elevated viscosity raises blood pressure because of the increasing resistance to flow. Imagine you are pumping two fluids out of a syringe: (1) water and (2) honey. From the pressure you have to apply to the plunger to get anything to come out, you can get a feel for the resistance to flow and the pressure within the syringe. read more

Increased blood viscosity is the only biological parameter that has been linked with all of the other major cardiovascular risk factors, including high blood pressure, elevated LDL cholesterol, low HDL, type-II diabetes, metabolic syndrome, obesity, smoking, age, and male gender [1]. read more