The association between hemoglobin level, anemia, and hypertension among adolescents in Sudan: a multicenter cross-sectional study.

Background: Limited data exist on the association between hemoglobin levels/anemia, C-reactive protein (CRP), and hypertension in adolescents. This study aimed to examine the associations between hemoglobin levels/anemia and hypertension among adolescents in two regions of Sudan (River Nile State and Gadarif).

Research design and methods: A multicenter cross-sectional study. Sociodemographic characteristics were evaluated using a questionnaire. Standardized procedures were used to measure adolescents' weight, height, hemoglobin levels, and CRP. Multivariate binary analyses were conducted.

Results: This study included 738 adolescents; 44.0% weremales and 56.0% were females. The median age of the adolescents was 14.8 (interquartile range, IQR: 13.1-16.3) years. Of the 738 adolescents, 69 (9.4%) had hypertension, and 222 (30.1%) had anemia. In multivariate binary analysis, increasing body mass index (BMI) (adjusted odd ratio, AOR = 1.12, 95% confidenceinterval [CI]: 1.05-1.18) and male sex (AOR = 1.84, 95% CI: 1.15-3.24) were positively associated with hypertension, where as anemia (AOR = 0.36, 95% CI:0.15-0.84) demonstrated an inverse association with hypertension. No associations were found between age, CRP, location, and hypertension.

Conclusions: This study reported an inverse association between anemia and hypertension. Further research is necessary to investigate this population's complex association between hemoglobin levels/anemia and hypertension.