Evaluation of March Hemoglobinuria in Imam Al-Hussain Visitors Who are Going to Kerbala City

Abstract

background: March hemoglobinuria, also known as march hematuria, occurs whenblood is seen in the urine after repetitive impacts on the body, particularly affectingthe feet and hands (e.g. Candombe drumming). The word "march" is in reference to the condition arising in soldiers who have been marching for long periods; the condition was first documented in 1881. March hemoglobinuria usually is reported in young males, no doubt because of their more frequent participation in severe and prolonged exertion, but march hemoglobinuria also can be seen in women.Aim of study: To assess the presence of hemogobinuria in the visitors of Holy Kerbala regarding Imam Al-Hussain (peace on him) at the fortieth visiting.Subjects and Methods: Those subjects underwent to the investigations for the detection of hemoglobinuria . Blood sample drawn with EDTA tube for laboratory processing with complete blood count by hematology auto-analyzer (Abbott) and blood film ,urine sample processed for iron stain to detect hemosiderin (perl`s stain). The results dealt with statistically by SPSS version 18.Results: Twenty eight cases present with hemoglobinurea .Mean age is 32 years and the range is from 18-56 years. The mean distance that the subjects had walked was 193 kilometers with a range 108-524 kilometers apart from Holy Karbala. The mean hemoglobin is 12.6 g/dl. Thirty eight cases present with anemia (hemoglobin less than 12 g/dl) with fifteen cases have hemoglobin value less than 10 g/dl. Geographical distribution of subjects address all over Iraqi governorates, in which most of them( 63 subjects ) from Baghdad.Conclusion: There is no significant relation between the distance and the pathology .