Abstract
Absolute values of reference ranges for coagulation assays in humans vary within the entire lifespan and confirm the concept of developmental hemostasis. It is known that physiologic concentrations of coagulation factors (F) gradually increase over age: they are lower in premature infants as compared to full-term babies, healthy children or adults. Here we demonstrate in a cohort of 1011 blood donors and in a group of 193 healthy pregnant women, that the process of developmental hemostasis proceeds in adults. During the course of pregnancy F and activation markers steadily increase until delivery with a parallel decrease noticed for protein S. From adolescents, young adults to the elderly there is a further increase of F, reaching significance starting between 35 and 50 years of age compared to younger subjects. Covering the entire lifespan FVIII and von-Willebrand-factor showed the lowest values in carriers of blood group “O”. Apart from pregnancy differences related to gender, pill users, smoking habits or the presence of thrombophilic variants were reported. Laboratory test results should be compared to age-related reference intervals when hemostatic defects are suspected to avoid misclassifications as being “healthy”, prone to “bleeding” or vice versa to “thrombosis”.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Blood Cells, Molecules, and Diseases |
| Volume | 67 |
| Pages (from-to) | 2-13 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| ISSN | 1079-9796 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 09.2017 |
Funding
The study was supported by grants from the Förderverein “Schlaganfall und Thrombosen im Kindesalter e.V.” In addition, the project “age-dependent reference intervals in healthy blood donors” was sponsored by an unrestricted grant Octapharma GmbH , Langenfeld, Germany. None of the aforementioned funding agencies had a role in study design, conduct, interpretation, or reporting.
Research Areas and Centers
- Academic Focus: Center for Infection and Inflammation Research (ZIEL)
