The effect of donor age on human erythrocyte density distribution

Erythrocyte density has been reported to increase with in vivo aging. Gradient centrifugation techniques allow different density erythrocyte fractions to be purified from whole blood. As the donor age increases there is a concomitant increase in the percentile contribution of whole blood by a light density fraction. Similarly, a heavy density component of erythrocytes decreases with increasing donor age. In the present study these changes were investigated and found to exhibit a logarithmic relationship to donor age. The etiology of this is unknown but may be due to a decreased erythrocyte lifespan in older individuals.