Diminished Quality of Life and Physical Function in Community-Dwelling Elderly With Anemia

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Abstract
The occurrence of anemia in older adults has been associated with adverse outcomes including functional decline, disability, morbidity, and mortality. It is not clear to what extent these outcomes are the result of the anemia or concurrent illness. We performed a cross-sectional, observational study to determine whether lower hemoglobin concentrations in older adults are associated with reduced health-related quality of life, functional status, depression, disability, and physical strength, independent of chronic disease. Three sites participated in this research: an academic geriatric practice, a hospital-based geriatric outpatient unit, and a community-based multispecialty internal medicine group. Health-related quality of life and functional status were measured using the Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36) and the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Anemia (FACIT-An). Disability and depression were assessed using the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) questionnaires, respectively. Handgrip strength was used as a physical performance measure. Anemia was defined as hemoglobin Abbreviations: FACIT-AN = Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Anemia, GDS = Geriatric Depression Scale, Hb = hemoglobin, IADL = Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, SF-36 = Short Form-36 Health Survey; SF-36 Domains, PF = physical functioning, RP = role limitations due to physical health problems, BP = bodily pain, GH = general health, VT = vitality, SF = social functioning, RE = role limitations due to emotional problems, MH = mental health, PCS = physical health component score, MCS = mental health component score, WHO = World Health Organization.