Hematology, ASH, and the anemia of the aged

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Abstract
The conference found that the definition of anemia is an unresolved problem. The World Health Organization (WHO) and NHANES III used the same criteria for anemia: Hgb values lower than 13 g/dL for men and 12 g/dL for women. It is understandable that in androgen-secreting, childbearing years women might normally have lower Hgb values than men, but it is not clear that this should continue to be the case after age 65. If the same Hgb value of less than 13 g/dL were used for women, 30 percent would be considered anemic, presumably with the consequences in morbidity noted previously. Ethnic differences also need to be considered, because by WHO criteria almost 30 percent of African-American men and women have anemia, and the difference cannot be explained by an increased prevalence of iron deficiency or alpha thalassemia.5