Enhanced adherence of β‐thalassaemic erythrocytes to endothelial cells

The adherence of red blood cells (RBC) to endothelial cells (EC), shown to correlate with microvascular occlusion in sickle cell disease and malaria, is considered a major contributor to microcirculatory disorders. In the present study the adherence to EC was markedly enhanced with RBC from β‐thalassaemia major (TM) patients, and even more so with RBC from β‐thalassaemia intermedia (TI) patients (10‐fold and 25‐fold higher than normal, respectively). It is proposed that enhanced RBC/EC adherence may contribute to the microcirculatory disorders observed in thalassaemia, especially in TI patients who are particularly known to suffer from leg ulcers.