An international haematological survey

Area of Science:

• Hematology
• Public Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Hematological parameters are crucial indicators of population health.
• Understanding variations in hemoglobin, hematocrit, and red cell counts is essential for public health.
• Previous large-scale, multi-country hematological surveys are limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess hematological parameters in adult populations across multiple countries.
• To determine the prevalence of anemia based on World Health Organization (WHO) criteria.
• To investigate the relationship between age and hematological levels in adult males and females.

Main Methods:

• Simultaneous hematological surveys of adult population samples from 12 countries.
• Standardized hematological estimations performed in a central laboratory for samples from nine countries.
• Analysis of hemoglobin, hematocrit, and red cell count levels.

Main Results:

• Relatively small differences observed in mean hemoglobin, hematocrit, and red cell count levels between countries.
• Overall low prevalence of anemia, defined by arbitrary WHO levels.
• Evidence of a slight decline in hemoglobin levels in males throughout adulthood, with a minor increase in advanced age.
• No significant relationship found between age and hemoglobin levels in adult females.

Conclusions:

• Adult hematological profiles show considerable uniformity across the studied European and non-European populations.
• Anemia prevalence is generally low according to WHO criteria.
• Age-related trends in hemoglobin levels differ between adult males and females.