Table 4.
Biological characteristics of the two groups
| Geophagy | Control | Statistics* | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hemoglobin (g/L) | 67 ± 9.9 | 112 ± 8.8 | P < 0.001 |
| Mean globule volume (μm3) | 66 ± 8.8 | 82.7 ± 5.7 | P < 0.001 |
| Hematocrit (%) | 24.7 ± 5.3 | 33 ± 3.2 | P < 0.001 |
| Corpuscle Hb concentration (%) | 27.9 ± 2.4 | 33.2 ± 2 | P < 0.001 |
| Ferritinemia (μg/L) | 6.6 ± 4.8 | 17.6 ± 23 | P < 0.001 |
| Vitamin B12 (pmol/L) | 172.7 ± 73.1 | 186.6 ± 85.5 | P = 0.25 |
| Erythrocyte folate concentration (nmol/L) | 698.11 ± 360.3 | 689.1 ± 566.5 | P = 0.89 |
| Plasma aluminum (μg/L) | 13.92 | 4.95 | P < 0.0001 (OR = 6.83; 95% CI = 2.72–19.31) |
| ≤ 10 μg/L | 56 | 67 | |
| > 10 μg/L | 40 | 7 | |
| Urinary aluminum (μg/L) | 92.83 | 12.11 | P < 0.0001 (OR = 5.44; 95% CI = 2.17–14.8) |
| ≤ 20 μg/L | 45 | 56 | |
| > 20 μg/L | 35 | 8 |
*
Student t test. OR = odds ratio; 95% CI = 95% confidence interval.