Sept. 2014, Vol. 8, No. 9, pp. 789-793 Journal of Life Sciences, ISSN 1934-7391, USA Description of the Health Status of Colombian Indigenous Communities Through Basic Laboratory Tests Martha Castillo, Ana Lucia Oliveros and Ana Isabel Mora Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Colegio Mayor de Cundinamarca, Calle 28 No. 5B-02, Bogotá, D.C. 110911, Colombia Received: March 15, 2014 / Accepted: September 28, 2014 / Published: September 30, 2014. Abstract: Colombia enjoys considerable ethnic diversity, although its indigenous population, part of the world’s shared cultural heritage has been reduced by various factors, including displacement, poverty, and poor access to timely and quality healthcare. The present study is focused on diagnosing health problems, particularly anemia, through a description of hematological findings amongst men and woman aged 18 to 50 years, living at various altitudes, and belonging to several different indigenous communities: the Huitoto and Embera of Caqueta, Florencia; the Bora, Muinane, Okaina, Huitoto communities of La Chorrera, Amazonas; and the Yanaconas of Bogota, D.C. Tests performed included automated hemogram tests, ferritin, c-reactive protein, and parasitological assessment to correlate the presence of anemia and parasitism. The authors used a quantitative and transversal, structured, non-experimental, correlational, stratified sample design with 105 samples (51 men, 54 women). The results showed that 7.8% (4/51) of the men had anemia, compared with 29.6% (16/54) of the women—more than triple the incidence of the male population. Moreover, we found a higher incidence of anemia in rural areas, where the majority of the country’s indigenous populations live. In the parasitological study, 87.7% (50/57) of the participants tested positive for intestinal parasites. These findings are expected to help authorities implement more effective responses to health issues in these communities. Key words: Embera, Bora, Muinane, Huitoto, Okaina, native Americans, anemia, intestinal parasitism. 1. Introduction Over the years, the size of Colombia’s indigenous populations has decreased significantly, owing to multiple bio-psychosocial and socio-demographic factors, including low coverage within the health system, and loss of geographical territory. There is insufficient documentary evidence regarding the statistics and indicators of health in these communities [1-4]. Multiple pathologies suffered by indigenous peoples are often diagnosed and treated within the communities by community authorities (for example, shamans) using traditional techniques, an approach that sometimes hinders the use of medicine provided by the national health system [5]. Corresponding author: Martha Castillo, professor, research fields: health sciences, hematology. E-mail: mlcastillo@unicolmayor.edu.co. The National Epidemiological documentation [1] highlights significant morbidity and mortality within these minority groups. This, and the fact that many Colombians have some degree of genetic descent from indigenous populations, calls for more epidemiological study of these populations. The present study sought to detect different pathologies in certain regions with significant indigenous populations with the objective of enhancing the development of more specific interventions and protocols that could be implemented by government agencies. This is especially important in the areas of hematology, and also in generating primary care programs that reduce the nutritional deficiencies and polyparasitism affecting these highly marginalized groups, who often live in suboptimal health conditions, far from urban centers and representative indices of D DAVID PUBLISHING