Abstract
This paper investigates the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) effects on the blood flow. Rheological properties of blood have been taken into account through the constitutive equations of a micropolar fluid. Unsteady nonlinear differential system is solved numerically by employing finite difference method. Explicit results of axial velocity, flow rate and wall shear stress are obtained and analyzed. It is found that an applied magnetic field reduces the blood flow rate. Copyright (C) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.