Epidemiological Analysis of the Hemoglobin Picture in Parturient Women of Jerusalem

Abstract

The hemoglobin findings of 3578 parturient women delivered in the Hadassah-Hebrew University Hospital, Jerusalem, during the years 1958-59 are analysed. Normal cases only were included in the study. The objective of the analysis was to determine the epidemiological significance of such variables as ethnic group, social class and place of residence in the rapidly changing and culturally heterogeneous Jewish community of Jerusalem. Among the interesting findings in this respect was the fact that the relationship between hemoglobin level and social class was not consistent in different ethnic groups. In women married to Israeli born men the variable social class was not found to be related to hemoglobin. This is in marked contrast to those of the European group in which there was a marked decrease in hemoglobin level from social class 1 and 2 down to social classes 4 and 5. This points up the possible difference in meaning of a variable like social class for epidemiological studies among people of widely differing cultural groups.