Table 1 Comparisons between impoverished pregnant and lactating women in rural Panama¹

 Age, y

24.8 ± 0.6

25 ± 0.7

24 (11)

23 (10)

 Parity, #

3.4 ± 0.2

3.5 ± 0.2

3 (4)

3 (3)

 Wood smoke, h/d

2.5 ± 0.1

2.3 ± 0.1

2 (1)

2 (1)

 Fieldwork, h/d

4.5 ± 0.3

4.7 ± 0.3

4 (3.5)

4 (4)

 BMI (kg/m²)

25.1 ± 0.3

25.5 ± 0.3

24.7 (4.6)

25.1 (4.9)

 Folic acid, nmol/L

16.0 ± 0.7^a*

13.5 ± 0.6^b

14 (8.1)

11.9 (7.3)

 Vitamin B₁₂, pmol/L

111.1 ± 4.3^b

170.2 ± 7.2^a*

100 (48)

153 (62)

 Vitamin A, μmol/L

1.20 ± 0.03^b

1.47 ± 0.04^a**

1.17 (0.46)

1.42 (0.66)

 Vitamin D, nmol/L

43.1 ± 1.4

43.0 ± 1.4

39.7 (22.0)

42.2 (19.8)

 Total WBC × 10⁹/L

8.92 ± 0.21^a*

8.21 ± 0.18^b

8.6 (2.8)

7.8 (2.4)

  Neutrophils × 10⁹/L

6.07 ± 0.20^a**

4.55 ± 0.15^b

5.9 (2.3)

4.1 (1.7)

  Lymphocytes × 10⁹/L

2.01 ± 0.04^b

2.45 ± 0.06^a**

1.9 (0.6)

2.3 (0.8)

  Monocytes × 10⁹/L

0.39 ± 0.01

0.38 ± 0.01

0.37 (0.14)

0.36 (0.12)

  Eosinophils × 10⁹/L

0.39 ± 0.02^b

0.78 ± 0.06^a**

0.36 (0.29)

0.61 (0.57)

  Basophils × 10⁹/L

0.03 ± 0.00^b

0.05 ± 0.00^a**

0.03 (0.02)

0.04 (0.03)

 Neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR)

3.15 ± 0.14^a**

1.96 ± 0.08^b

2.9 (1.1)

1.7 (0.9)

 Total platelets × 10⁹/L

262.8 ± 5.6^b

323.4 ± 1.0^a**

262 (82.5)

306 (113)

  MPV, fL

8.9 ± 0.1

8.8 ± 0.10

8.8 (1.2)

8.7 (1.4)

  PDW

15.9 ± 0.03^a**

15.6 ± 0.04^b

15.9 (0.6)

15.6 (0.5)

  Plateletcrit, %

23.5 ± 0.4^b

28.3 ± 0.71^a**

23 (7)

26.9 (8)

 IL1-B

4.9 ± 0.5^a**

1.5 ± 0.4^b

1.72 (7.7)

0.02 (1.3)

 IL4

19.7 ± 2.5^a**

3.9 ± 0.6^b

9.1 (23.4)

2.1 (4.0)

 IL6

8.8 ± 1.1^a**

4.9 ± 1.2^b

1.6 (11.8)

1.6 (0)

 IL10

3.9 ± 0.6^a**

1.3 ± 0.3^b

1.2 (4.8)

0.3 (1.2)

 IL12

15.6 ± 3.1^a*

4.6 ± 0.8^b

1.5 (21.5)

1.3 (5.7)

 IL13

4.4 ± 0.6^a**

1.2 ± 0.2^b

1.6 (7.4)

0.9 (0.9)

 IL17

6.5 ± 0.7^a**

3.5 ± 1.2^b

2.3 (10.9)

0.8 (1.2)

 INF-γ

9.0 ± 1.0^a**

7.6 ± 2.6^b

3.6 (13.2)

1.6 (3.4)

 TNF-α

7.5 ± 0.7^a*

6.0 ± 0.5^b

6.5 (12.4)

4.4 (6.9)

CRP (nmol/L)

51.6 ± 4.7^a**

27.6 ± 3.5^b

32.8 (58.1)

12.3 (30.4)