Comparative Analysis of Red Blood Cells and Blood Levels of Iron and Vitamins B12 and B9 in Men Working in Different Climate Zones

Abstract

Introduction: Vitamin and mineral deficiencies, inter alia, cause changes in hematological parameters. Objective: To compare characteristics of red blood cells and blood levels of iron and vitamins B12 and B9 in men working in different climate zones. Material and methods: In June–July of the years 2022 and 2023, we assessed nutritional patterns and blood parameters characterizing red blood cells and the levels of iron, vitamins B12 and B9 in healthy male military personnel residing in the Arctic (Group 1, n = 51), Subarctic (Group 2, n = 54), and temperate (Group 3, n = 58) climate zones. Results: In the summertime, we established a decreased red blood cell count in 39.4 %, 14.8 %, and 10.3 % of the subjects (20, 8, and 6 men), hematocrit – in 19.6 %, 9.3 %, and 10.3 % (10, 5 and 6 men), and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration – in 21.6 %, 16.7 %, and 27.6 % (12, 9, and 16 men), but an increased mean corpuscular volume in 17.8 %, 13.0 %, and 10.3 % (9, 7, and 6 men) and corpuscular hemoglobin – in 11.8 %, 22.2 %, and 24.1 % (6, 12, and 14 men) in the Arctic, Subarctic and temperate zones, respectively. Besides, in the Subarctic and temperate zones, lower hemoglobin was measured in 7.4 % and 10.3 % of the examined (4 and 6 men). We observed vitamin B12 deficiency in 100.0 %, 73.6 %, and 67.2 % (51, 40, and 39 men) and vitamin B9 deficiency – in 89.8 %, 81.2 %, and 44.8 % (46, 44, and 26 men) of the subjects serving in the Arctic, Subarctic and temperate zones, respectively. Signs of anemia in the Arctic and Subarctic residents developed against the background of vitamin B12 and folic acid deficiency; in the temperate zone, both single and combined cyanocobalamin and folic acid deficiencies were likely. The mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration and mean corpuscular volume up to 100 fL did not exclude the regenerative phase of iron deficiency anemia.