Background The diagnosis of bleeding disorders through the Clinical Chemistry Laboratory requires specific tests. In Mexico, there are few reports on reference values (RVs) for coagulation factors (CFs). The prevalence and RVs in adults and older Mexican adults have already been described. However, it remains unknown whether these parameters differ among minors (MI), young adults (YA), and older adults (OA). The aim of this study was to determine CF levels in a group of healthy MI, YA, and OA in Mexico. Methods CFs were determined on a coagulation analyzer using commercial kits for the CFs: I, II, V, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, and XII. The effect size was determined using Glass's rank biserial correlation coefficient. Comparisons between groups were performed using Dunn-Bonferroni post hoc tests following a significant Kruskal-Wallis test, and the epsilon-squared coefficient was used to estimate effect magnitude. Results 347 participants, stratified by age group and sex, were studied. Variability in CF activity was observed. Age was found to be an important factor influencing the activity of all CFs, particularly factors II, V, VIII, IX, X, and XII, with factors V and XII proposed as biomarkers of aging. Conclusions CF levels observed in OA differ from those in YA and MI, as well as from the RVs proposed in commercial kits. It is important to integrate these results into established diagnostic algorithms, as well as into an evidence-based practical guide that clinical personnel can use to support a comprehensive and accurate diagnosis of patients with hemostatic disorders.
Nieves-Hernández et al. (Thu,) studied this question.