Genetic and environmental influences on the size and number of cells in the blood

Abstract

The heritabilities of human blood cell characteristics were estimated in a study of 206 pairs of young adult twins, male and female. White cell numbers, indices related to circulating red cell mass (haemoglobin, red cell count, and haematocrit), and platelet numbers and size all appeared to be accounted for by genetic and nonshared environmental influences only. Mean cell volume (of the erythrocytes) appeared to be influenced by environmental factors shared by siblings as well as the other two sources of variation. Correlation between red cell count and haemoglobin is modulated by both genetic and environmental factors, but the negative correlation between red cell numbers and size is due mainly to genetic factors independent of those influencing haemoglobin. A significant negative correlation also exists between platelet numbers and size. In males, alcohol consumption increased mean cell volume, and genetic factors influencing alcohol consumption are partly responsible for the correlation between them.