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Published on: September 9, 2012
Correlates of D-dimer in older persons
Freddy Tita-Nwa1, Angelo Bos, Abdul Adjei
1Clinical Research Branch, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
D-dimer levels increase with age due to factors like inflammation, lipids, anemia, and obesity. This impacts D-dimer
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Hematology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- D-dimer is a fibrinolysis marker.
- Age-related changes may affect D-dimer interpretation in older adults.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate age-related factors influencing D-dimer levels.
- Assess the impact on D-dimer as a diagnostic tool in the elderly.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 776 Baltimore Longitudinal Study on Aging participants.
- Categorization into D-dimer level groups: >200, 100-200, <100 ng/mL.
- Polychotomous logistic regression models used.
Main Results:
- D-dimer levels significantly increase with age (p<0.0001).
- Independent associations found between D-dimer and age, cholesterol, triglycerides, creatinine, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, hemoglobin, and BMI.
Conclusions:
- Age-related D-dimer elevation is partly explained by inflammation, lipid abnormalities, anemia, and obesity.
- These factors reduce D-dimer specificity for thrombosis diagnosis in older individuals.
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