Laboratory tests in the elderly

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Laboratory manuals list values that are considered normal for hematologic and biochemical tests, but do the healthy elderly have their own set of “normal” values? This is the question Dr Coodley and his associates answered with their study of 300 ambulatory, disease-free persons aged 65 and older. He details the results of specific tests and concludes that most (90%) test results for this population fell within the accepted normal range. Minimal abnormalities related to age were noted in serum phosphorus, glucose, liver enzyme, and cholesterol levels.