Selected blood components and urinary B vitamins as related to age and sex of black population in Southwest Mississippi

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Abstract
The effects of age and sex on selected blood components and urinary B vitamins of 304 black persons over 5 years of age from 200 households in Southwest Mississippi were studied. Fasting blood and urine were collected early in the morning. Whole blood was used for the determination of hematocrit, hemoglobin, red blood cells, and white blood cells; the sera were used for the analysis of iron, calcium, albumin, globulin, glucose, cholesterol, and vitamin C; urine was used for the determination of thiamin, riboflavin, and creatinine. The result of this study showed that blood components and urinary B vitamins were affected by age and sex. While hematocrit, white blood cells, globulin, glucose, and cholesterol levels significantly increased with age, vitamin C, and urinary thiamin values consistently decreased with age. Hemoglobin, serum iron, and urinary riboflavin had correlationship with age for a selected sex alone, still no specific trend was evident. Red blood cells, calcium, and albumin values were independent of age. In regard to sex difference, hematocrit, hemoglobin, and serum iron levels were significantly higher in males than in females. However, globulin, glucose, and cholesterol values were significantly higher in females than in males. While mean hematocrit, hemoglobin, red blood cells, and albumin values of this population were close to the low limits of the normal range, glucose, cholesterol, and globulin values were close to the higher limits of the normal range. The results of this study suggest that further studies are required to establish guidelines for interpretation of nutritional status, normal ranges and average values of blood, and urinary parameters by different age groups, sexes, and race.

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