title: [Anemia and functional incapacity at admission to a geriatric home].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To ascertain the prevalence of anemia on admission to a nursing home, and to assess the relationship between the observed cases of anemia and the functional status of those subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 198 subjects: 82 men (41%) aged 75.8 +/- 8.8 years, and 116 women (59%) aged 78.2 +/- 8.3 years. Anemia was diagnosed according to the criteria of the World Health Organization. The classification as non-disabled, or physically or mentally disabled, was done according to the Scales of the Spanish Red Cross.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Anemia was diagnosed in 36% of the males, being microcytic in 14%, normocytic in 83%, and macrocytic only in 3% of them. Among women there were 44% with anemia, which was microcytic in 16%, normocytic in 80%, and macrocytic in 4% of cases. The prevalence of anemia increased with age in both sexes. Among men, anemia was significantly associated (p = 0.013) with physical disability, whereas among women this association just fell off significance (p = 0.06). There was no association of anemia with mental disability. No association was found between serum concentrations of ferritin, vitamin B12, or folic acid, and the classification as non-disabled, or as physically or mentally disabled.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Anemia is found in about 40% of the elderly on admission to our nursing home. Anemia is associated with older age and with physical disability, but not with mental disability. Whether anemia on admission entails a higher risk of disability onset during the stay in the nursing home remains to be elucidated.
authors.affiliation: Hospital Doctor Negrín, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
authors.forename: B J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Anía Lafuente
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fernández-Burriel Tercero
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Suárez Almenara
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Betancort Mastrángelo
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Guerra Hernández
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000740:Anemia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D005260:Female; D006707:Homes for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence