RESEARCH ARTICLE
Evaluation of Hemoglobin Concentration in Pregnancy and Correlation with Different Altitude: A Study from Balochistan Plateau of Pakistan
Zubaida Umar 1, Mahmood Rasool *, 2, Muhammad Asif 3, Sajjad Karim 2, Arif Malik 4, Gohar Mushtaq 5, Mohammad A Kamal 6, Arsala Mansoor 1
Article Information
Identifiers and Pagination:
Year: 2015Volume: 9
First Page: 7
Last Page: 14
Publisher ID: TOBIOCJ-9-7
DOI: 10.2174/1874091X01509010007
Article History:
Received Date: 22/7/2014Revision Received Date: 6/11/2014
Acceptance Date: 10/11/2014
Electronic publication date: 20 /2/2015
Collection year: 2015
open-access license: This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted, non-commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited.
Abstract
Background:
Anemia refers to a condition having low hemoglobin concentration. Anemia is considered a major risk factor for unfavorable pregnancy outcomes. This is the first study describing the pattern of hemoglobin concentration during pregnancy and its relationship to areas of high and low altitudes in Balochistan (the largest of Pakistan’s four provinces). The main objective of this study was to observe hemoglobin levels and prevalence of anemia among pregnant women living in the high or low altitude areas of Balochistan.
Methods:
A randomized survey was conducted and blood samples were collected from 132 healthy full term pregnant women subjects and 110 unmarried females. The subjects of the current study were selected from two different areas of Balochistan (Quetta and Uthal). Hemoglobin levels of the subjects were analyzed on Microlab 300 by Merck kit. Dietary status of the subjects was assessed based on simplified associated food frequency questionnaire. The factors effecting hemoglobin in full term pregnancy at different altitudes were multi gravidity/parity (increased number of pregnancies/children), age, socio-economic and educational status.
Results:
Anemia was highly prevalent in low-altitude region (68.33%). We found statistically significant difference in mean hemoglobin level at high-altitude region (11.81 ± 1.02) and low-altitude region (10.20 ± 1.28) in pregnant females of Balochistan plateau (P < 0.001). Higher maternal age (> 35 years) has shown significantly higher anemic frequency at both high (57.89%; p < 0.002) and low (41.46%; p = 0.067) altitudes. A balanced-diet that is rich in meat products has also shown significant correlation with reduced incidences of anemia among pregnant women at both altitudes.
Conclusion:
Hemoglobin concentration increases in the body with elevated altitudes and, thus, anemia was less frequent at high-altitude region. Factors affecting hemoglobin concentration in full term pregnancy at different altitudes included old maternal age, low body-mass index, education and diet.
