A different outlook to consequences of anemia in older adults

ABSTRACT

Objectives

Anemia is a common health issue in older adults with crucial consequences. We aimed to investigate the relationship of anemia with various components of geriatric syndromes.

Methods

A total of 486 older individuals aged 65 and over admitted to a university hospital were included in this cross-sectional study. According to WHO criteria, we defined anemia as hemoglobin concentration lower than 13 g/dL in men and 12 g/dL in women. The Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP2) criteria were used to diagnose sarcopenia. Handgrip strength (HGS) was measured by a hand dynamometer. Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) questionnaires were used to evaluate functionality. Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and European Quality of Life-5 Dimensions (EQ-5D) questionnaires were also used.

Results

Participants’ mean age was 72.2 ± 6.4 years and 58.8% of them were female. Ninety-two of 486 patients were anemic and 64.1% of anemic patients were female. Anemic group had lower IADL, EQ-5D, HGS scores, and higher GDS scores. According to multivariate logistic regression analysis, age, and anemia were found to be independent risk factors for dependency in IADL in both genders. Anemia, age, and depression were found to be independent risk factors for low HGS in women.

Conclusion

Anemia and depression are independent factors for low HGS in women, and anemia and age are independent factors for dependency on instrumental daily activities in older persons. Treating depression and raising Hb to optimal levels may be critical interventions to improve the health and life quality of people aged 65 and over, particularly in the female gender.

KEYWORDS:

• Anemia
• activities of daily living
• geriatric assessment
• depression
• quality of life

Declaration of financial/other relationships

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties. Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Ethics statement

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Approval for the study was granted by the Gaziantep University Medical Faculty ethical committee (no. 2022/155).

Author contributions

Ercüment Öztürk: Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Methodology, Writing-original draft, Writing-review & editing. Ahmet Çiğiloğlu: Investigation, Methodology, Writing-review & Editing. Eyyüp Murat Efendioğlu: Investigation, Methodology, Writing-review & Editing. Zeynel Abidin Öztürk: Investigation, Methodology, Writing-review & editing

Additional information

Funding

This paper was not funded.