Comparative analysis of trends and determinants of anaemia between adult and teenage pregnant women in two rural districts of Ghana

Abstract Background The prevalence of iron deficiency anaemia remains high in pregnant women and the situation may be worse for pregnant adolescents. This study aimed to comparatively analyse the trends and determinants of anaemia between adult and teenage pregnant women in rural Ghana. Methods A retrospective study design was employed. Data including primarily pregnancy history, haemoglobin levels and anaemia status were collected from the manual medical records of 1002 women stored in the repositories of two rural district hospitals in the Ashanti Region of Ghana over the years 2011–2015. Data was analysed using chi-square analysis, t-test, two-way ANOVA and binary logistic regression. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were also done to establish associations and predictors of anaemia. Results An overall drop in mean haemoglobin from 11.1 g/dl in 2011 to 10.6 g/dl in 2015 was observed for adults, while an overall increase from 9.4 g/dl to 10.2 g/dl occurred in teenagers. Further, anaemia prevalence declined at the 36th week of pregnancy, and from 2011 to 2015, for both teenagers and adults. Among factors tested for association with haemoglobin levels using bivariate and multivariate analyses, gestational age alone was significant (P = 0.028). Between-subject effects determined using 2-way ANOVA indicated year of pregnancy alone, as well as in combination with age group (F = 3.1, P = 0.019) significantly affected haemoglobin levels. From binary regression analysis, BMI (OR 0.967, 95% CI:0.936–0.999, P = 0.042), gestational age (OR 1.058, 95% CI:1.013–1.106, P = 0.011) and pregnancy year (OR-2012(0.402); 2013(0.53); 2014(0.569); 2015(0.817), 95% CI: 2012(0.256–0.631); 2013(0.338–0.829); 2014(0.366–0.886); 2015(0.501–1.333), P = 0.001) were found to be significant predictors of anaemia at first antenatal visit. Also, the trimester of reporting for antenatal care, specifically the second trimester (OR-0.261, 95% CI: 0.072–0.951, P = 0.042) and the pregnancy year (OR-2012(0.235); 2013(0.206); 2014(0.530); 2015(0.222), 95% CI: 2012(0.101–0.545); 2013(0.081–0.522); 2014(0.197–1.428); 2015(0.049–1.018), P = 0.003) were more significant at the 36th pregnancy week. Conclusions Although the trends observed were decreasing in both adults and teenagers in the years reported, anaemia levels remained high for each year in either group. Anaemia, therefore remains a major health problem, especially in the areas studied, and antenatal interventions need a second look to know what might make them more effective. </jats:sec

Abstract B16: IL-10 promoter polymorphisms are associated with prostate cancer risk in African Americans

Abstract Background: African American men have the highest rates of prostate cancer (PCa) worldwide and immunogenetic studies suggest emerging evidence that prostate inflammation may contribute to prostatic carcinogenesis. Since genetic susceptibility is an etiological factor in PCa, we hypothesize that sequence variants in the promoter region of the IL-10 gene that regulate pro inflammatory cytokines, may modify individual susceptibility to this disease. Methods: four SNPs in the promoter regions with allele frequency differences between Europeans and West Africans were genotyped using pyrosequencing in 538 unrelated men enrolled in a PCa genetic association study at the Howard University Hospital between 2000-2004. Results: SNP rs12122923 was found to have the strongest association using the dominant (p=0.048) and the log additive (p=0.029) genetic models. rs1800871 was found to be associated with PCa using the log additive model(p=0.057). However, after adjusting for age, both SNPs became insignificantly associated with PCa. Conclusions: This study showed an association between IL-10 promoter SNP variation and PCa. This supports the hypothesis that genetic variation in the inflammatory process can contribute to prostate cancer susceptibility. Research supported in part by NIH/NIGMS/MBRS/SCORE grant # S06GM008016. Citation Format: Muneer M. Abbas, Tshela Mason, Luisel Ricks-Santi, Victor Apprey, Rick Kittles, Chiledum Ahaghotu, Georgia Dunston. IL-10 promoter polymorphisms are associated with prostate cancer risk in African Americans. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Eighth AACR Conference on The Science of Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; Nov 13-16, 2015; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2016;25(3 Suppl):Abstract nr B16.</jats:p