Based on the Huygens-Fresnel principle, the analytic expressions of the cross-spectral density matrix elements of the random electromagnetic Gaussian Schell model (GSM) vortex beams in biological tissues are derived, and used to study the changes in the on-axis degree of polarization P(0, 0, z), one point degree of polarization P(rho, rho, z) and two points (generalized) degree of polarization P(0, rho, z) of random electromagnetic GSM vortex beams. The results show that with the increment of the propagation distance z, the bigger C-n(2) is, the earlier appearance of the inflexion points in P(0, 0, z) and P(rho, rho, z) are, but the changes in P(0, rho, z) are related to the propagation distance. The smaller sigma(xy) is, the greater sigma(yy) is, the more smooth the change curves of P(0, 0, z), P(rho, rho,z) and P(0, rho, z) are. Besides, the difference values between sigma(xx), and sigma(yy) also influence the changes in P(0, 0, z), P(rho, rho, z) and P(0, rho, z). On the same conditions, the changes in P(0, rho, z) are more complicate than those in P(rho, rho, z), and the changes in P(rho, rho, z) are more complex than those in P(0, 0, z). (C) 2017 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.