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Age- and sex-related differences of plasma activated factor VII levels in children
T Sakata1, T Yamamura, K Kario
1Laboratory of Clinical Chemistry, National Cardiovascular Center, Suita, Osaka, Japan.
Insights
Activated factor VII (FVIIa) levels are lower in children than adults. This study found FVIIa levels increase earlier in females than males during childhood.
Area of Science:
- Hematology
- Pediatric Medicine
- Coagulation Science
Background:
- Activated factor VII (FVIIa) initiates tissue factor-induced coagulation and exists at low levels in plasma.
- Hemostatic component concentrations differ between children and adults.
- Understanding age- and sex-related differences in FVIIa is crucial for pediatric hematology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate age- and sex-related differences in FVIIa and FVII antigen (FVIIag) levels.
- To compare FVIIa and FVIIag levels in children (ages 10 and 13) with young adults.
- To determine developmental patterns of FVIIa in pediatric populations.
Main Methods:
- Measured FVIIa and FVIIag plasma levels in children aged 10 and 13, and young adults.
- Analyzed data for age-related differences in males and females separately.
- Compared FVIIa and FVIIag levels between the age groups and sexes.
Main Results:
- Plasma FVIIa levels were significantly lower in children compared to adults.
- In males, FVIIa levels did not differ significantly between ages 10 and 13, but were lower than in adults.
- In females, FVIIa levels increased significantly from age 10 to 13, approaching adult levels.
Conclusions:
- Pediatric plasma FVIIa levels are lower than adult levels.
- The rise in FVIIa levels occurs earlier in females than in males during childhood.
- These findings highlight distinct developmental trajectories of coagulation factors in children.
Abstract:
Although the majority of factor VII (FVII) circulates in the zymogen form, low levels of activated factor VII (FVIIa) exist in plasma and play an important role in the initiation of tissue factor-induced coagulation. It has been reported that the concentrations of hemostatic components in children and adults are different. Here, we investigated the age- and sex-related differences of FVIIa and FVII antigen (FVIIag) levels in children at age of 10 (n = 123; males: n = 62; females: n = 61), and 13 (n = 105; males: n = 47: females: n = 58), and compared these levels with those of young adults (mean +/- SD of age: 29.6+/-6.0 years). In males, there was not a significant difference between the FVIIIa levels of 10-year-old children and 13-year-old children, but the FVIIa levels in adult controls were significantly higher than those in children. In females, the FVIIa levels in 13-year-old children were significantly higher than that in 10-year-old children, but there was not a significant difference between 13-year-old children and adults. Thus, our study showed that plasma FVIIa levels were lower in children than in adults, and the increase of FVIIa level was earlier in females than in males.