Aroh. Gerontol. Geriatr. suppl. 5 (1996) 403-406 0167-4943/98/$15.00 0 1996 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved 403 LABORATORY BLOOD PARAMETERS IN A GROUP OF CENTENARIANS G. RECEPUTO, I. DI FAZIO, R. RAPISARDA, E. ALESSANDRIA, R.A. SCARPINATO, S. DI STEFANO, V. CILMI, S. SAVIA and C. MAZZOLENI Department of Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, University of Catania, Via Mes- sina, 829, l-95126 Catania, Italy SUMMARY Several laboratory blood parameters in a group of healthy centenarians (7 males and 15 females) living in Eastern Sicily were studied and compared with those recorded in a group of healthy elderly subjects (5 males and 12 females) from 80 to 87 years of age. Almost all the laboratory test parameters analyzed were within the range considered to be normal for adult subjects. The exceptions were some renal function markers such as azotemia and creatinine, which were higher in the centenarians, and total cholesterol levels, which were significantly lower in the male centenarians as compared to the elderly male subjects. The conclusion is drawn, therefore, that laboratory tests reflect the health conditions rather than the age of an individual. Keywords: centenarians, laboratory blood parameters, blood counts, serum pro- teins, total cholesterol, triglycerides, creatinine INTRODUCTION Laboratory tests represent an important phase in the process of evaluating the health conditions of an individual. Normal ranges are calculated on a selected sample of the adult population which usually does not include the elderly. The radical demographic changes seen in recent years, comprising a rapid lengthen- ing of the later stages of life, affect the characteristics of the adult population (Landhal et al., 1981; Dietrich, 1983; Meade et al., 1987). Just a decade ago, reaching one hundred years of age was a dream, while it has now become a rea- lity for an increasing portion of the population. Many complex factors have led to this demographic situation and studies on centenarians will provide important information on human capacity to exceed this mythical age limit (Nemeth et al., 1990). As part of the Italian Multicentric Study on Centenarians, some laboratory blood parameters were examined in a group of centenarians in Eastern Sicily. PATIENTS AND h!ETHODS The study involved 22 centenarians (7 males and 15 females), mean age: 102.6 + 2.3 years, - and 17 elderly people (5 males and 12 females), mean age: 83.04 + 2.4 years, - age range 80-87 years, The following laboratory tests were performed: counts of white blood cells (WBC), red blood cells (RBC), and pla- telets, as well as related parameters like hemoglobin (Hg), hematocrit (Ht),