Husband‐wife similarities in hemoglobin levels

Abstract

As shown in 2,826 pairs of spouses participating in the Ten‐State Nutrition Survey of 1968–1970, husband‐wife correlations in hemoglobin levels approximate 0.20 from the 3rd through the 8th decade. At the extremes of hemoglobin levels, husband‐wife similarities are even more pronounced, such that the spouses of individuals who are “high” in hemoglobin may be as much as 0.7–0.8 gm/100 ml higher than the spouses of those who are low. This study of genetically‐unrelated adult individuals living together provides background necessary for the understanding of parent‐child and sibling similarities in hemoglobin levels and hematocrit concentrations.