in the hematocrit and platelet levels may also be part of the phenomenon
of age-related cellular depletion.
in the case of neutrophils.
Such reduction, however, was not noted
The increasing sedimentation rate noted with
aging in the Marshallese could be related to a cumulative effect of
chronic infections and debility in the older age groups.
Electrophoretic studies of the serum showed serum protein levels
(both albumen and globulin) well above the usually accepted norms for
Caucasians. This finding may be related in part to dehydration and lowered |
blood volumes mentioned earlier.
The increasing gamma globulin levels in
the aging Marshallese is consistent with many reports in the literature (Karel,
Wilder & Beber,
1956; Rafsky, Brill, Stern, & Corey, 1952; Goldbloom, 1955;
Das & Bhattacharya, 1961).
It is possible that the slightly lower albumen
levels noted in the older Marshallese may be related to lowered food intake.
As would be expected from the serum electrophoretic. data, the immunodiffusion
studies showed increasing immunoglobulin levels with increasing age (Fig. 4).
The most pronounced and most age-correlated change was in the IgG group.
Since
the K light chains are twice as prevalent as the L light chains in the Igc
immunoglobulins (Ritzman & Levin, 1967), it is not surprising that there
was a significant increase in the K light chains paralleling the increase
in the IgG group.
The K/L ratios in the Marshallese are similar to Caucasians
(Fahey, 1969) and show a slight but insignificant increase in older people,
The increased immunoglobulins in the older Marshallese people is
.
probably related to an accumulation of immunological reactions to infections.
Parfentjev (1954) suggested that the increase in gamma globulins he noted
in aging dogs and chickens was related to continuous contact with infectious