Anemia: an indicator for malnutrition in the elderly
- 25 May 2001
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Nature in Annals of Hematology
- Vol. 80 (5) , 295-298
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s002770100287
Abstract
The prevalence of anemia increases with age and is frequently multifactorial. We postulated that malnutrition contributes to anemia in the elderly and is underdiagnosed. Our objective was to analyze the prevalence of anemia and its association with nutritional status in a hospitalized geriatric population. Included in this retrospective cohort study were 186 consecutive patients admitted in 1997 to a geriatric unit of a university hospital. We compared hematological and chemical blood tests routinely performed upon admission in patients with anemia (hemoglobin P=0.0001) but not with iron deficiency (P=0.5) or with inflammation (P=0.08). In a multivariate logistic regression model, anemia was significantly associated with serum albumin (RR: 1.138; 95% CI: 1.056–1.227; P=0.0007), cholinesterase (RR: 1.387; 95% CI 1.122–1.714; P=0.0025), and transferrin saturation (RR: 1.05; 95% CI: 1.012–1.09; P=0.009). We conclude that malnutrition may play an important etiologic role in anemia in the elderly.Keywords
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