A retrospective cohort study of blood hemoglobin levels in blood donors and competitive rowers

P.I. Johansson, H. Ullum, K. Jensen, Niels H. Secher

15 Citationer (Scopus)

Abstract

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
Udgivelsesdato: 2009/2
OriginalsprogEngelsk
TidsskriftScandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports
Vol/bind19
Udgave nummer1
Sider (fra-til)92-95
Antal sider3
ISSN0905-7188
StatusUdgivet - 2009

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