High Level of Hemoglobin, White Blood Cells and Obesity Among Sudanese Women in Early Pregnancy: a Cross-Sectional Study

Figures & data

Figure 1.  Relationship between hemoglobin concentration and BMI categories.

Figure 2.  Relationship between white blood cell count and BMI categories.

Table 1. General characteristics of Sudanese women in the current study in their early pregnancy.

Variable	n = 338
The mean (SD) of
Age (years)	27.8 (5.5)
Gravidity	2.3 (1.60
Parity	0.9 (1.2)
Gestational age (weeks)	10.5 (3.1)
Interpregnancy interval (months; n = 160)	38.6 (2.4)
BMI, 18.5 kg/m^2	27.7 (5.7)
Hemoglobin (gm/dl)	10.8 (1.1)
White blood cell (cells × 10^9/l):	7740 (2174)
– Neutrophils	5056 (1,820)
– Lymphocytes	2167 (580)
Lymphocytes/neutrophils	0.48 (0.41)
Red cells distribution width (%)	13.8 (1.5)
Number (%) of
Rural residence	48 (14.2)
Education level ≤secondary level	46 (13.6)
Housewives	252 (74.6)
Anemia	168 (49.7)
History of:
– Miscarriage	73 (21.6)
– Stillbirth	6 (1.8)
– Gestational diabetes	5 (1.5)
– Pre-eclampsia	6 (1.8)

SD: Standard deviation.

Table 2. Comparison of sociodemographic, medical and obstetric characteristics between BMI groups among early-pregnancy Sudanese women.

Variables	Underweight n (15)	Normal n (95)	Overweight n (127)	Obese n (101)	p-value
The mean (SD)
Age (years)	27.0 (6.5)	26.3 (5.6)	28.1 (5.4)	28.9 (5.1)	0.007
Gravidity	2.1 (1.9)	1.7 (1.1)	2.4 (1.7)	2.7 (1.7)	<0.001
Parity	0.5 (0.9)	0.5 (0.8)	1.1 (1.4)	1.3 (1.3)	<0.001
Gestational age (weeks)	10.5 (3.2)	10.3 (3.0)	10.4 (3.0)	10.7 (3.5)	0.816
Interpregnancy interval	48.2 (27.0)	32.3 (21.4)	37.1 (23.1)	42.2 (26.7)	0.225
BMI, 18.5 kg/m^2	17.2 (0.8)	22.5 (1.7)	27.3 (1.4)	34.5 (4.1)	<0.001
Hemoglobin (gm/dl)	10.1 (1.4)	10.6 (1.0)	11.0 (1.0)	11.0 (1.1)	0.003
White blood cell (cells × 10^9/l):	6100 (1430)	7446 (1988)	7937 (2104)	8013 (2396)	0.004
– Neutrophils	3788 (1197)	4902 (1590)	5164 (1828)	5253 (2015)	0.022
– Lymphocytes	1983 (656)	2128 (665)	2163 (541)	2236 (527)	0.338
Lymphocytes/neutrophils	0.692 (0.577)	0.514 (0.701)	0.455 (0.164)	0.471 (0.188)	0.181
Red cells distribution width (%)	13.8 (1.6)	13.8 (1.6)	13.7 (1.5)	13.8 (1.6)	0.934
Number (%) of
Rural residence	4 (26.7)	19 (20)	13 (10.2)	12 (11.9)	0.085
Education level ≤secondary level	1 (6.7)	13 (13.7)	16 (12.6)	16 (15.8)	0.764
Housewives	12 (80)	71 (74.7)	95 (74.8)	74 (73.3)	0.955
Anemia	10 (66.7)	56 (58.9)	56 (44.1)	46 (45.5)	0.064

Table 3. Multinomial analyses of the factors associated with underweight, overweight and obesity.

Variables	Underweight (n = 15)	Overweight (n = 127)	Obese (n = 101)
Age (years)	1.05 (0.9–1.2); 0.423	1.0 (0.9–1.0); 0.555	1.0 (0.9–1.1); 0.409
Parity^†	0.7 (0.3–1.5); 0.435	1.6 (1.1–2.2); 0.003	1.7 (1.2–2.4); 0.001
Hemoglobin (gm/dl)	0.6 (0.4–1.0); 0.091	1.4 (1.1–1.8); 0.005	1.3 (1.06–1.8); 0.016
White blood cells	0.6 (0.4–0.9); 0.012	1.1 (0.9–1.2); 0.075	1.1 (0.9–1.3); 0.054
Neutrophils	0.5 (0.3–0.8); 0.013	1.1 (0.9–1.2); 0.210	1.1 (0.9–1.3); 0.125

Data expressed as odds ratio (95% CI); p-value.

^†Adjusted for age; white blood cells and neutrophils were entered one by one in each model.