What is meant by normal haemoglobin concentration in healthy individuals?
Anaemia: the haemoglobin concentration below that which represents the steady state for a healthy individual. Population data can indicate the probability of an individual member of that population being anaemic at any given haemoglobin concentration. This normal variation (Gaussian distribution) of haemoglobin concentration reflects individual variations in the physiological mechanisms that control Hb concentration. Measurement of haemoglobin concentration: Observed values are influenced by (a) physiological factors e.g. capillary or venous, diurnal effects, position and also by methodological factors such as sample site, assay method etc. What are the effects of reduction in body iron and how may iron status be assessed? Studies to demonstrate any effect of isolated iron depletion in humans are technically difficult because of need to demonstrate tissue iron depletion and effects of iron repletion. There is little convincing evidence that iron depletion in the absence of lowered Hb c
