AGE-DIFFERENCES IN BIOCHEMICAL AND HEMATOLOGICAL MEASURES DURING MIDDLE-AGE

Biochemical and hematological measures possibly associated with ageing were measured on a single occasion in 3402 male and 2152 female Londo n Civil Servants aged from 35 to 59 years of age. These included eryth rocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), blood hemoglobin and serum albumin, c alcium, bilirubin, creatinine, urea, urate, high density lipoprotein ( HDL), and total cholesterol. Independently and positively related to a ge were ESR with an estimated 47% 'increase' in men over the 15 years between ages 40 to 55 and a 40% increase in women; serum urea herd a 6 %/15-year increase in men and 20% in women; total cholesterol had a 6% /15-year increase in men and 18% in 'increased' by 2%/women; serum cre atinine 15-years in men and 5% in women. In women, urate, HDL choleste rol and hemoglobin increased with age group. Negatively related to age was serum bilirubin in both sexes (8% and 6% 'fall'/15-years in men a nd women respectively). Serum albumin and calcium fell with age group in men. The sexes differed in their relationship to aging for total ch olesterol and HDL cholesterol (greater increase in women), serum calci um (small decrease in men and small increase in women), urate and hemo globin (increases in women but not men). Urea increased more in women than men, and albumin decreased more in men than women (p<0.001 for al l comparisons with the exception of HDL cholesterol, p<0.01). Changes during the menopause were thought to explain some of these findings.