title: Racial variations in booking haemoglobin of primigravidae in Malaysia: a prospective study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Variations in racial haemoglobin had been previously described in multiple studies locally and abroad. This study was conducted to quantify the differences in haemoglobin of booking primigravidae amongst the three major races in Malaysia at the antenatal clinic of University Malaya Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One year prospective study of booking full blood count sample of primigravidae taken in one centre was conducted. Multiple comparative analyses of the booking haemoglobin were performed using the One-way ANOVA comparative mean test in each trimester. 622 primigravidae without any known history of haematological disorders were recruited into the study. The mean haemoglobin for the Indian race was the lowest compared to the two other races in the second and the third trimesters, and it was found to be statistically significant lower (p- value 0.001) than the Malay race in the second trimester. It was also found that the Indian race had a significantly higher incidence of moderate to severe anaemia (p- value: 0.029). The prevalence of anaemia in our study population is also significantly higher in the Indian population (p- value: 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings from this study have established that there is racial preponderance to anaemia in pregnancy. The Indian race is at a higher risk of having anaemia in pregnancy particularly in the second trimester.
authors: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Malaya Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. atcc28@hotmail.com
authors: Albert Chao Chiet
authors: AC
authors: Tan
authors: Eugene Weng Kong
authors: EW
authors: Leong
authors: Ai Chen
authors: AC
authors: Chua
authors: Foong Ming
authors: FM
authors: Moy
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000740:Anemia / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008296:Malaysia / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011250:Pregnancy Complications, Hematologic / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D044469:Racial Groups
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins
references: Am J Clin Nutr. 1994 Jul;60(1):117-21
references: 8017324
references: Am J Clin Nutr. 2000 May;71(5 Suppl):1280S-4S
references: 10799402
references: J Nutr. 2001 Feb;131(2S-2):590S-601S; discussion 601S-603S
references: 11160592
references: World Health Stat Q. 1985;38(3):302-16
references: 3878044
references: Fam Med. 2005 Oct;37(9):655-62
references: 16193419
references: Malays J Reprod Health. 1984 Jun;2(1):32-50
references: 12267519
references: BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2011 Jan 20;11:7
references: 21251269
references: Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol. 1965 Nov;5(4):191-7
references: 5215888
references: Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2007;16(3):527-36
references: 17704035
references: Malays J Nutr. 1997 Mar;3(1):83-90
references: 22692237
references: J Nutr. 2004 Oct;134(10):2586-91
references: 15465752
references: Am J Clin Nutr. 2000 Jul;72(1 Suppl):212S-240S
references: 10871588
references: J Biosoc Sci. 1995 Apr;27(2):151-62
references: 7738078
references: Eur J Clin Nutr. 1998 Jan;52(1):65-70
references: 9481535
references: Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2011 Sep;62(6):585-92
references: 21561298