Dr Alexey Kulikov(@KulikovUNIATF):A new study in npj #Aging suggests that #platelets 🩸 may change well before frailty becomes physically visible. Researchers analyzed blood from 50 older women in Chile and found that platelets from women scoring just 7 or more on the 50-point Frailty Trait Scale (FTS-5), far below the standard frailty cut-off of 25, already show a procoagulant profile: more phosphatidylserine exposure, higher intracellular calcium, and elevated platelet-derived extracellular vesicles. Plasma proteomics pointed the same way, with signs of thrombo-inflammatory activity and a possible consumptive coagulopathy. Markers like CRP and D-dimer only shifted closer to the 25-point threshold, which suggests platelets may be an early warning signal. The sample is small and the design cross-sectional, so causality remains open, but a platelet-based liquid biopsy could eventually help flag frailty-related cardiovascular risk before physical symptoms appear.

2026.10.17 09:36

A new study in npj #Aging# suggests that #platelets# 🩸 may change well before frailty becomes physically visible. Researchers analyzed blood from 50 older women in Chile and found that platelets from women scoring just 7 or more on the 50-point Frailty Trait Scale (FTS-5), far below the standard frailty cut-off of 25, already show a procoagulant profile: more phosphatidylserine exposure, higher intracellular calcium, and elevated platelet-derived extracellular vesicles. Plasma proteomics pointed the same way, with signs of thrombo-inflammatory activity and a possible consumptive coagulopathy. Markers like CRP and D-dimer only shifted closer to the 25-point threshold, which suggests platelets may be an early warning signal. The sample is small and the design cross-sectional, so causality remains open, but a platelet-based liquid biopsy could eventually help flag frailty-related cardiovascular risk before physical symptoms appear.