Hemoglobin Content and Growth of School Girl

• Published in: Japanese Journal of Health and Human Ecology Vol. 62; no. 4; pp. 197 - 207
• Main Authors: KOBA, Fuki, FUTATSUKA, Makoto, NAGANO, Megumi, UENO, Tatsuro, INAOKA, Tsukasa, KITANO, Takao, KITANO, Naoko, VEDA, Atsushi, VEDA, Tadako, ARIMATSU, Yoshiki, TANAKA, Michiko, YAMASHITA, Tairi, NOMURA, Shigeru
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: The Japanese Society of Health and Human Ecology 1996
• Subjects: puberty, growth, school girl, hemoglobin, menarche
• ISSN: 0368-9395; 1882-868X
• DOI: 10.3861/jshhe.62.197

The relationship between changes in blood hemoglobin levels and physical growth at puberty is evaluated on the basis of the three to ten years follow up of the eight cohorts in 819 school girls. Yearly change of the average blod hemoglobin levels in eight cohorts of the different, age and number revealed that the levels in general increased slightly between 6 and 12 years old, and decreased between 13 and 14 years old. The additional study is attempted on 151 subjects with a mean age of 12 years who were closely followed up more than 3 years and had accurate physical growth and age of menarch as well as a characteristic change in blood hemoglobin levels. The subjects were divided into two groups; normal group (Gn) having hemoglobin above 12 g/dl throughout the observation period and anemic group (GL) detected less than 12 g/dl at least one time during the study. There was no significant difference in the growth of the two groups. With regard to the 161 subjects, there was a difference in their occurence, blood hemoglobin levels, ΔT [the duration between the peak of physical growth (Tp) and the age of menarch], (Tm) and so on, when compared the cohort whose ΔT is less than 0.5 year with the one whose ΔT is more than 2 years. Subjects with shorter ΔT had delayed Tp and early Tm, and their blood hemoglobin levels tended to decrease, whereas ones with longer ΔT had earlier Tp and delayed Tm, and the blood hemoglobin level tended to be high.