HEMATOLOGICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL LABORATORY VALUES IN OLDER CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH STUDY PARTICIPANTS

OBJECTIVE: To define reference hematologic and biochemical lab values in older individuals. DESIGN: Randomly selected, age- and gender-strat ified participants. SETTING: Visits by participants to four research c linics. PATIENTS: A total of 5201 participants in the Cardiovascular H ealth Study, an observational study of older Medicare-eligible individ uals living at home. MEASUREMENT: Information about health status, pre vious illness, and medication use was obtained from participants and/o r their MDs. This information was used to define a healthy subset of t he population. Blood samples were obtained for Cholesterol, HDL and LD L cholesterol, fasting and 2-hour postload glucose and insulin, fibrin ogen, factors VII and VIII, potassium, creatinine, albumin, uric acid, white blood count, hematocrit, hemoglobin, and platelet count. RESULT S: Significant differences were found for age group and/or gender for all mean values. Many tests were significantly different from the gene rally accepted reference ranges used in clinical laboratories. CONCLUS IONS: In some situations accepted laboratory norms for the general pop ulation can not be extrapolated to older adults. There are implication s for both research and clinical practice.