Red blood cell aging

These proceedings of a symposium held in Urbino, Italy, September 1990, examine the impact of age on the membrane, metabolism, structural and enzymatic proteins of mammalian erythrocytes. Several reports end with different conclusions; but even with fragmentary knowledge of the events and mechanisms of cell aging, research of value in the diagnosis of diseases such as malaria infection and sickle cell anemia is being done. The majority of reports provide support to the concept that the erythrocyte may be a useful model for elucidating some basic phenomena of aging in more complex cells and intact organisms.