Age-related changes in blood counts and emergence of cytopenias. Mean levels for hemoglobin concentration (A) and platelet (B) and neutrophil (C) counts according to age, shown separately for male and female Lifelines participants. Error bars represent standard deviations. Prevalence of anemia (D), thrombocytopenia (E), and neutropenia (F), according to age. Darker shades represent the prevalence of cytopenias of increasing severity. Contribution of male and female participants to the total prevalence of anemia (G), thrombocytopenia (H), and neutropenia (I) across different age categories. Anemia: hemoglobin concentration <13.0 g/dL in men and <12.0 g/dL in women (moderate: hemoglobin concentration <11.0 g/dL; severe: hemoglobin concentration <10.0 g/dL); thrombocytopenia: platelet count <150 × 109/L (moderate: platelet count <100 × 109/L); neutropenia: neutrophil count <1.8 × 109/L (moderate: neutrophil count <1.5 × 109/L; severe: neutrophil count <.8 × 109/L).