Haematological profile in healthy urban population (8 to 70 years of age)

Haematological profile for 17 constituents of blood were determined in 998 healthy school children (8-19 years old) and 2246 healthy adult persons (20 -70 years old) residing-permanently or cit least 5 years in a defined geogr aphic region of Zagreb, Croatia. Physiological variations corresponding to age and sex were studied as the m ost important factors affecting biological variation in haematological cons tituents of blood. In, our study erythrocytes, haemoglobin and haematocrit values were not sex dependent until the age of 13 after which the values we re higher in men than in women. Sedimentation rate showed sex and age relat ed differences in the adult age with higher values in women especially afte r 50 years. Total leukocyte count declined with age and in adults the value s were slightly lower in women. Segmented neutrophil granulocytes showed th e upward trend with age whereas the lymphocyte and monocyte counts declined . Women showed slightly higher platelet count in the adult age. Based on, biological variation, rue have estimated the reference intervals for 17 haematological constituents of blood in order to provide medically r eliable evaluation of haematological laboratory results.