Assessment of Some Haemostatic Factors in Elderly People in Keffi, Nasarawa State, Nigeria

Aim The aim of the study is to inform the scientific and local community on the effects of ageing on hemostatic parameters in Keffi, Nasarawa state and also improve care for the elderly.

Study Design: The study was a case-control descriptive study. The study was designed to assess the some haemostatic factors in elderly people in Keffi, Nasarawa State.

Place and Duration of the Study: The study was conducted in Federal Medical Center Keffi, Nasarawa State-Nigeria. Data collection spanned a specific duration from November, 2022 to January, 2023.

Methodology: Prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APPT), clotting time (CT), bleeding time (BT) and International normalised ratio (INR) are few of the coagulation profiles that were examined in 100 geriatrics living in Keffi, Nasarawa state, Nigeria. The age range used is from 60 and above. While 50 young adults between the age of 18 to 35 were used as control subjects. The tests for prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time were carried out using CA-1500 (Sysmex, Kobe, Japan), with appropriate quality control materials and standard reagents (Dade Behring, Germany). While Lee and White method was employed for clotting time. The bleeding time (BT) was performed by Ivy's modified template method.

Results: Prothrombin time, activated partial thrombin time and international normalize ratio among geriatrics showed significant variations (p <0.05), when compared with the control subjects. In contrast, it was found that the bleeding time was longer in the control subjects than in the test participants.

Conclusion: The findings of this research suggest that ageing has a significant effect on hemostatic factors when compared to younger subjects.