Urine concentration in elderly women and men

Abstract

The degree of urine concentration, which is of relevance to healthcare, is higher in middle-aged males than in females, but whether this difference remains in elderly hospital patients is unknown. Urine sampling was performed in 1316 subjects for analysis of urine-specific gravity, osmolality, creatinine, and color. Patients were recruited from three hospital settings (median age, 78 years), while 27% of the subjects were healthy controls (median age, 43 years). The results show higher significantly biomarker values in males than in females in all settings, but they decreased with age, albuminuria, and acute heart conditions.