Prevalence and Etiological Profile of Anemia in Hospitalized Geriatric Patients

Abstract

Abstract Background: Anemia is a common health problem in the elderly and is associated with a wide range of adverse outcomes. The prevalence of anemia at older age is increasing as a result of improved diagnostics and demographic changes in our societies. The aim was to determine the prevalence of anemia in a cohort of hospitalized geriatric population and the possible underlying etiology. Subjects and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study among patients aged more than 60 years hospitalized in medical wards. Anemia was defined based on the World Health Organization criteria: Hb <12.0 g/dL in women and Hb <13.0 g/dL in men. Results: Anemia was observed in 214 patients (73.3%). The average age of the study participants was 68.16 ± 1.32 years. The mean hemoglobin level was 8.48 ± 2.26 g/dl. About 51% had moderate anemia and 34% had severe anemia. Morphologically, microcytic anemia was the most common type (49.5%). Overall, nutritional causes of anemia exceeded nonnutritional causes (49%, n = 105 vs. 42.5%, n = 91). Iron deficiency anemia was the most common nutrient deficiency anemia seen in 49 participants (22.9%), followed by Vitamin B12 in 34 (15.9%) and folate in 10 (4.7%). Anemia of inflammation was diagnosed in 69 (32.2%) and hematological disorders in 6.1%. Common chronic diseases causing anemia were infection/autoimmune disorders in 35 (16.3%), chronic renal failure in 20 (9.3%), and solid-organ malignancies in 14 (6.5%). The etiology was multifactorial in 19 patients (8.9%) and unexplained in 8 (3.7%). Conclusions: Anemia was frequently diagnosed in this series of elderly hospitalized patients with a high burden of moderate-to-severe anemia. Most of them had an underlying treatable etiology. Potentially correctable nutritional deficiencies, such as iron, Vitamin B12, or folate deficiency, were identified as the most common causes. Unexplained anemia appears to be rare in hospitalized older patients.