Variation of activated partial thromboplastin time according to age and sex in a large population study: Analytical and clinical implications

摘要

The activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) is a global coagulation test, whose utility has been well established in the screening of patients with inherited disorders of coagulation factors (especially those of the intrinsic pathway) or those with lupus anticoagulant (LAC), as well in the therapeutic monitoring of unfrac-tionated heparin therapy [1]. Reliable evidence, mainly accumulated over the past decade, also suggest that a shortened APTT value might reflect a hypercoagulable state, since it is associated with an increased risk of venous thromboembolism as well as adverse cardiovascular events independently from other variables such as blood group, the presence of inherited thrombophilia or factor VIII levels [2-4]. The reference values of the APTT vary broadly among different laboratories, although they are usually comprised between 25 and 38 s. The aim of the present study was to assess the variation of APTT values according to age and sex in a retrospective epide-miological study involving a large cohort of outpatients.