Table 1.
Demographic characteristics (mean (± SD)) of the subject population and the relevant laboratory values.
| Young male | Elderly male | Kruskal–Wallis test | Young female | Elderly female | Kruskal–Wallis test | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demographics | ||||||
| Number | 8 | 8 | 16 | 8 | ||
| Age (years) | 23.4 (±5.5) | 73.1 (±8.5) | P < 0.001 | 27.8 (±5.3) | 74.3 (±5.9) | P < 0.001 |
| Weight (kg) | 76.4 (±5.9) | 74.0 (±4.0) | NS | 66.3 (±6.6) | 72.1 (±11.0) | NS |
| Height (m) | 1.84 (±0.11) | 1.72 (±0.04) | P < 0.05 | 1.73 (±0.07) | 1.61 (±0.05) | P < 0.001 |
| Body mass index (kg m−2) | 22.6 (±1.8) | 25.0 (±0.9) | P < 0.01 | 22.3 (±2.3) | 27.9 (±4.0) | P < 0.001 |
| Laboratory values | ||||||
| Serum albumin (g 100 ml−1) | 6.4 (±0.2) | 5.8 (±0.5) | P < 0.05 | 6.0 (±0.3) | 6.0 (±0.03) | NS |
| Serum creatinine (mg 100 ml−1) | 0.9 (±0.1) | 1.1 (±0.3) | P < 0.1 | 0.9 (±0.1) | 0.9 (±0.2) | NS |
| Free testosterone (pg ml−1) | 19.0 (±6.4) | 10.5 (±3.7) | P < 0.01 | 1.8 (±3.5) | 1.4 (±1.0) | NS |
| Growth hormone (ng ml−1) | 0.53 (±0.66) | 0.38 (±0.29) | NS | 2.83 (±4.56) | 0.8 (±0.6) | P < 0.1 |