Haematological status of school children in two regions of Guatemala: relevance of normality standards

Haematocrit values of 1484 Guatemalan children aged 5 to 18 years (mean: 10 years), 897 males and 587 females, were determined in a haematological survey. Five hundred and eight were sampled in the highland province of Alta Verapaz (AV) and 976 in the coastal province of Retalhuleu (Reu). Packed cell volumes were classified as 'normal' or 'subnormal' using two published standards, both adjusted by age, gender, and altitude of origin (Interdepartmental Committee for Nutrition in National Development, 1969; Viteri et al, 1972). The former gave a global prevalence of haematological subnormality of 7.7%: 10.6% in AV and 6.3% in Reu; the latter gave a global prevalence of 8.0%: 16.1% in AV and 6.3% in Reu. The lowland population, paradoxically, had the lower rate of low haematocrits. Males had more subnormal haematocrits than females. Only 37 of 196 children (19%) were identified as having a haematological deficit by both systems simultaneously. For assessment of the haematological status of the Guatemalan population, surveyors are faced with a dilemma of discordant and mutually-inconsistent classification standards from which to choose.