Dietary intake and iron status of institutionalized elderly people: Relationship with different factors

Abstract

Based on World Health Organization criteria, anemia was found in 25.4% of elderly subjects studied. Iron deficiency seems to be the main cause of anemia, and chronic disease the second cause of anemia. Dietary intake is not one of the principal causes of anemia in the study population, except for folate intake.

Iron status in the elderly

“…Anaemia in the elderly may be caused by a number of individual or combined factors, including poor diet, reduced efficiency of iron absorption, occult blood loss, medications, and chronic disease (Lopez-Contreras et al, 2010). Results from cross-sectional studies measuring the prevalence of ID and IDA in elderly people are therefore very variable.…”

Perfil Sociodemográfico, Bioquímico E Hematológico De Idosos Residentes Do Município De Ivoti/Rs

“…A anemia no idosos tem incidência de 4 a 6 vezes maior que na população jovem, em que até os 65 anos a prevalência é mais alta em mulheres e após os 75 anos é mais alta em homens (FAILACE, 2009). A anemia no idoso afeta a qualidade de vida e o tratamento é indispensável, devendo buscar a origem da doença, visto que ela é multifatorial: má alimentação e estilo de vida, baixa absorção de ferro, medicações e doenças crônicas (LOPEZ et al, 2010). Referenciando os valores encontrados para Hb e HCT, podemos perceber que a população desse estudo está razoavelmente acima destes valores, indicando que não há presença de anemia.…”

Metals in plasma of nonagenarians and centenarians living in a key area of longevity

“…The population here studied overlapped these normal intervals, but there was a proportion of seniors with Fe values lower than the threshold for deficiency (500 ng/ml), namely 13.1% in nonagenarians and 23.4% in centenarians, while none of the younger subjects presented a Fe deficiency. The loss of Fe in elderly or the altered Fe availability has been ascribed to a number of individual or combined factors, like changes in dietary patterns (as reduction in meat consumption), institutionalization, use of drugs and medications, infections, and diseases associated with bleeding (Lopez-Contreras et al, 2010). In this view, a Fe supplementation might be of help in raising the metal concentration to avoid health diseases.…”