Prevalence of anemia and associated factors in older adults: evidence from the SABE Study

Abstract

OBJECTIVE To assess the prevalence of anemia and associated factors in older adults.METHODS The prevalence and factors associated with anemia in older adults were studied on the basis of the results of the Saúde, Bem-Estar e Envelhecimento (SABE – Health, Welfare and Aging) study. A group of 1,256 individuals were interviewed during the third wave of the SABE study performed in Sao Paulo, SP, in 2010. The study included 60.4% females; the mean age of the participants was 70.4 years, and their average education was 5.3 years. The dependent variable was the presence of anemia (hemoglobin levels: 12 g/dL in women and 13 g/dL in men). Descriptive analysis and hierarchical logistic regression were performed. The independent variables were as follows: a) demographics: gender, age, and education and b) clinical characteristics: self-reported chronic diseases, presence of cognitive decline and depression symptoms, and body mass index.RESULTS The prevalence of anemia was 7.7% and was found to be higher in oldest adults. There was no difference between genders, although the hemoglobin distribution curve in women showed a displacement toward lower values in comparison with the distribution curve in men. Advanced age (OR = 1.07; 95%CI 0.57;1.64; p < 0.001), presence of diabetes (OR = 2.30; 95%CI 1.33;4.00; p = 0.003), cancer (OR = 2.72; 95%CI 1.2;6.11; p = 0.016), and presence of depression symptoms (OR = 1.75; 95%CI 1.06;2.88; p = 0.028) remained significant even after multiple analyses.CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of anemia in older adults was 7.7% and was mainly associated with advanced age and presence of chronic diseases. Thus, anemia can be an important marker in the investigation of health in older adults because it can be easily diagnosed and markedly affects the quality of life of older adults.

Factors Associated with Anemia in the Institutionalized Elderly

“…This prevalence was higher than what has been published by other studies on institutionalized elderly subjects [20, 21]. Studies on non-institutionalized elderly individuals have shown a lower prevalence of anemia [22, 23], supports the notion that institutionalization may be an important risk factor for the development of anemia [4]. …”

A Study on the Prevalence of Depression and its Associated Factors among the Elderly in Kancheepuram District, South India

“…According to BMI, the depression is high among the elderly who were underweight and according to MNA scale, the depression is high among malnourished (88.9%) and among the elderly at risk of malnutrition (76.1%) when compared to the elderly who were having normal nutritional status and is corroborated with some studies. (21,24,25)Depression is significantly associated with the presence of anemia among the elderly and is supported by a study done in Chianti (26) and in Sao Paulo (27)As the severity of anemia increases, the proportion of depression also increases from 36.4% in the elderly with mild anemia to 61.9% in the elderly with severe anemia. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that the increase in the burden of depression is significantly associated with lower socio economic status,the elderly who were widow/widower/ separated compared to currently married, the elderly who are malnourished or at risk of malnutrition and the presence of co-morbidities.…”

Moderate to Severe Anemia Is Associated with Poor Functional Outcome in Acute Stroke Patients Treated with Mechanical Thrombectomy

“…In different series, anemia was reported in 6-40% of this patients group [2,3,4,6]. Moreover it is widely suggested to be related with poor functional outcome and even with increased mortality [5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14].…”

“…Anemia is reported in up to 40% of patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) [1,2,3,4]. Recent clinical studies revealed that anemia seems to be significantly related with poor clinical outcome and mortality in AIS patients.…”