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Effects of age on laboratory testing
| Normal physiological changes with age | Laboratory values that correlate | |
|---|---|---|
| Muscle | ↓Muscle mass | ↓Creatinine |
| Bone | ↓Mineral content of bone, cartilage | ↑PTH (females) |
| ↓Calcium and calcitonin | ||
| GI | ↓Gastric motility, vitamin absorption, and drug absorption | ↓Vitamin B12, calcium, and Fe absorption |
| Kidney | ↓Renal function | ↑Serum ANP, BNP, and GFR, creatinine ↓Renin |
| Immune | ↓Hematopoietic stem cells, bone marrow activity, thymosin, and T-cell function | ↑ANAs |
| ↑Autoimmune antibodies | ||
| Endocrine | ↑Cancer incidence | ↓Aldosterone Norepinephrine |
| Reproductive | ↓Sex hormone | ↓Testosterone, estrogen, progesterone, DHEA-S, and pregnenolone |
| ↑GnRH |
PTH, parathyroid hormone; GI, gastrointestinal; ANP, atrial natriuretic peptide; BNP, brain natriuretic peptide; EPO, erythropoietin; GFR, glomerular filtration rate; ANA, antinuclear antibody; DHEA-S, sulfated dehydroepiandrosterone; GnRH, gonadotropin-releasing hormone.
Adapted from the textbook of Bishop ML et al. Clinical Chemistry 2018. p. 1702-6 [1].