A retrospective cohort study of blood hemoglobin levels in blood donors and competitive rowers.
To investigate the distribution of blood hemoglobin levels in healthy blood donors and elite athletes, a retrospective cohort study from 2001 to 2005 of candidate blood donors and elite rowers in Denmark was performed. Eighty-five thousand eight hundred and forty-six blood donors were identified (36 962 males), and 3.9% of the males had a blood hemoglobin above 10.5 mM, equalling a hematocrit of 51% and, 1.6% of the females had hemoglobin above 9.7 mM, corresponding to a hematocrit above 47%. One thousand four hundred and six rowers (1116 males) were investigated and 10.4% of the males and 8.3% of the females demonstrated values above the recommended limit for athletic competition. Thus, the prevalence of a high hemoglobin value was greater in the rowers, of both gender, than in the candidate blood donors (P<0.0001). The data demonstrate that high hemoglobin levels in blood are seen regularly in normal people and especially in competition athletes.
Johansson
P I
PI
Department of Clinical Immunology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. per.johansson@rh.hosp.dk
Ullum
H
H
Jensen
K
K
Secher
N H
NH
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001782:Blood Donors; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003163:Competitive Behavior; D003718:Denmark; D005260:Female; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012767:Ships; D055815:Young Adult
D006454:Hemoglobins