WEIGHTS OF BRAIN, HEART, LIVER, KIDNEYS, AND SPLEEN IN HEALTHY AND APPARENTLY HEALTHY ADULT DANISH SUBJECTS

Based on a forensic material of 1,598 autopsies of Danish adults (1,08 6 males, 512 females greater-than-or-equal-to 16 years of age), who pr ior to death were healthy or apparently healthy based on clinical evid ence, the weights of brain, heart, liver, kidneys, and spleen were reg istered. The variability of organ weights was estimated. Relationships between organ weights and body size, and among organ weights were als o evaluated. Males had larger organ weights than females. When organ w eights were based on the same estimated fat free mass, interesting dif ferences between the sexes were observed: weights of the heart and bra in were smaller in females, but weights of the kidney were the same; w eights of the liver were consistently larger in females than in males. Useful comparisons of the data with previous studies were impossible because of differences in the criteria of health and of insufficient n umbers. (C) 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.