The value of age- and sex-matched controls for coagulation studies

Several coagulation parameters and plasminogen levels were studied in 80 normal people divided into eight paired and sex-matched age groups: prepubertal children, postpubertal children, young adults, and adults over 50. The data indicate that factor-VII and -IX activities increase with age, with a cluster of lower activity for children and higher activity for adults. Factor-VIII levels appear to decrease with age, although this effect could be due to greater anxiety in the pre- and postpubertal children at the time of venipuncture. The adults showed no significant change in factor-VIII activity with age, but partial data indicate that factor-VIII levels are higher in adults with blood group A than those with blood group O. The age-related changes in factor-VII, -IX, and possibly -VIII activities did not vary between sexes. By contrast, plasminogen increased strikingly with age in males and decreased with age in females. With fibrinogen, a similar effect was found for adults, though not for the entire population. These findings indicate the importance of using appropriate age- and sex-matched controls for coagulation and plasminogen assays, especially in patients with mild inherited or acquired coagulation disorders.