Factors Involved in the Anaemia of Chronic Disorders in Elderly Patients

Abstract

Erythropoietin secretion was evaluated in the anaemia of chronic disorders in elderly patients, since it has been shown that this secretion is impaired in adults. We looked for a possible role of inflammatory cytokines: tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) on erythropoietin production. The influence of nutritional status on the anaemia was also investigated. Erythropoietin secretion was significantly increased in elderly patients with anaemia of chronic disorders (ACD) and inversely correlated with haemoglobin concentrations in infectious and inflammatory diseases. Plasma TNFα levels were significantly enhanced only in cancerous patients, but no correlation could be established between TNFα and erythropoietin or haemoglobin. No noticeable increase of IL-1β levels was observed in ACD. These findings suggest that systemic TNFα or IL-1β are not involved in the erythropoietin response to ACD. Albumin levels were decreased in anaemic patients. Further investigations of the effects of a nutritional supplementation in elderly patients with ACD may be of interest.

Longitudinal trends of hemoglobin levels in a Japanese population – RERF's Adult Health Study subjects

“…Lower erythropoietin levels are found in non‐anemic elderly inpatients than in healthy younger persons (12). Inflammatory processes related to anemia of chronic disorders (ACD), malignant diseases, and infection are frequently found in elderly patients (13,14), and a blunted erythropoietin response to anemia is found in elderly patients with ACD (15). No consensus has been reached on the age‐related Hb patterns in healthy elderly persons, which may be due partly to the study designs used.…”