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Hemoglobin concentration of high‐altitude Tibetans and Bolivian Aymara

1998; Wiley; Volume: 106; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1002/(sici)1096-8644(199807)106

1096-8644

Cynthia M. Beall, Gary M. Brittenham, Kingman P. Strohl, John Blangero, Sarah Williams‐Blangero, Melvyn C. Goldstein, Michael J. Decker, Enrique Vargas, Mercedes Villena, Rudy Soria, Ana María Alarcón, Cristina Gonzales,

Erythrocyte Function and Pathophysiology

American Journal of Physical AnthropologyVolume 106, Issue 3 p. 385-400 Hemoglobin concentration of high-altitude Tibetans and Bolivian Aymara Cynthia M. Beall, Corresponding Author Cynthia M. Beall cmb2@po.cwru.edu Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106Department of Anthropology, 238 Mather Memorial Building, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106–7125Search for more papers by this authorGary M. Brittenham, Gary M. Brittenham Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106Search for more papers by this authorKingman P. Strohl, Kingman P. Strohl Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106Search for more papers by this authorJohn Blangero, John Blangero Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, San Antonio, Texas 78227Search for more papers by this authorSarah Williams-Blangero, Sarah Williams-Blangero Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, San Antonio, Texas 78227Search for more papers by this authorMelvyn C. Goldstein, Melvyn C. Goldstein Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106Search for more papers by this authorMichael J. Decker, Michael J. Decker Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106Search for more papers by this authorEnrique Vargas, Enrique Vargas Instituto Boliviano de Biologia de Altura, La Paz, BoliviaSearch for more papers by this authorMercedes Villena, Mercedes Villena Instituto Boliviano de Biologia de Altura, La Paz, BoliviaSearch for more papers by this authorRudy Soria, Rudy Soria Instituto Boliviano de Biologia de Altura, La Paz, BoliviaSearch for more papers by this authorAna Maria Alarcon, Ana Maria Alarcon Instituto Boliviano de Biologia de Altura, La Paz, BoliviaSearch for more papers by this authorCristina Gonzales, Cristina Gonzales Instituto Boliviano de Biologia de Altura, La Paz, BoliviaSearch for more papers by this author Cynthia M. Beall, Corresponding Author Cynthia M. Beall cmb2@po.cwru.edu Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106Department of Anthropology, 238 Mather Memorial Building, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106–7125Search for more papers by this authorGary M. Brittenham, Gary M. Brittenham Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106Search for more papers by this authorKingman P. Strohl, Kingman P. Strohl Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106Search for more papers by this authorJohn Blangero, John Blangero Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, San Antonio, Texas 78227Search for more papers by this authorSarah Williams-Blangero, Sarah Williams-Blangero Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, San Antonio, Texas 78227Search for more papers by this authorMelvyn C. Goldstein, Melvyn C. Goldstein Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106Search for more papers by this authorMichael J. Decker, Michael J. Decker Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106Search for more papers by this authorEnrique Vargas, Enrique Vargas Instituto Boliviano de Biologia de Altura, La Paz, BoliviaSearch for more papers by this authorMercedes Villena, Mercedes Villena Instituto Boliviano de Biologia de Altura, La Paz, BoliviaSearch for more papers by this authorRudy Soria, Rudy Soria Instituto Boliviano de Biologia de Altura, La Paz, BoliviaSearch for more papers by this authorAna Maria Alarcon, Ana Maria Alarcon Instituto Boliviano de Biologia de Altura, La Paz, BoliviaSearch for more papers by this authorCristina Gonzales, Cristina Gonzales Instituto Boliviano de Biologia de Altura, La Paz, BoliviaSearch for more papers by this author First published: 06 December 1998 https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1096-8644(199807)106:3 3.0.CO;2-XCitations: 184AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Abstract Elevated hemoglobin concentrations have been reported for high-altitude sojourners and Andean high-altitude natives since early in the 20th century. Thus, reports that have appeared since the 1970s describing relatively low hemoglobin concentration among Tibetan high-altitude natives were unexpected. These suggested a hypothesis of population differences in hematological response to high-altitude hypoxia. A case of quantitatively different responses to one environmental stress would offer an opportunity to study the broad evolutionary question of the origin of adaptations. However, many factors may confound population comparisons. The present study was designed to test the null hypothesis of no difference in mean hemoglobin concentration of Tibetan and Aymara native residents at 3,800–4,065 meters by using healthy samples that were screened for iron deficiency, abnormal hemoglobins, and thalassemias, recruited and assessed using the same techniques. The hypothesis was rejected, because Tibetan males had a significantly lower mean hemoglobin concentration of 15.6 gm/dl compared with 19.2 gm/dl for Aymara males, and Tibetan females had a mean hemoglobin concentration of 14.2 gm/dl compared with 17.8 gm/dl for Aymara females. The Tibetan hemoglobin distribution closely resembled that from a comparable, sea-level sample from the United States, whereas the Aymara distribution was shifted toward 3–4 gm/dl higher values. Genetic factors accounted for a very high proportion of the phenotypic variance in hemoglobin concentration in both samples (0.86 in the Tibetan sample and 0.87 in the Aymara sample). The presence of significant genetic variance means that there is the potential for natural selection and genetic adaptation of hemoglobin concentration in Tibetan and Aymara high-altitude populations. Am J Phys Anthropol 106:385–400, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc. Citing Literature Volume106, Issue3July 1998Pages 385-400 RelatedInformation