Anemia, nutritional status, and inflammation in hospitalized elderly.
OBJECTIVE
Anemia (hemoglobin <120 g/L) in elderly patients is a health problem. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of anemia and associations of anemia with nutritional status and inflammation in hospitalized elderly.


METHODS
Sixty patients from the Department of Geriatrics were randomly assigned to participate. Blood samples were drawn and analyzed at the laboratory of the University Hospital in Reykjavik. Nutritional status was assessed using anthropometric and hematologic parameters.


RESULTS
The prevalence of anemia was 36.7%. Female participants were more frequently anemic than male participants (47.4% versus 18.2%, P = 0.024). Anemic patients had a lower albumin level (31.3 versus 33.4 g/L, P = 0.019) and a higher erythrocyte sedimentation rate (29.6 versus 16.0 mm/h, P = 0.005) and were more often malnourished (81.8% versus 44.7%, P = 0.005) than non-anemic patients. Hemoglobin correlated with prealbumin (rho = 0.338, P = 0.008) and albumin (rho = 0.250, P = 0.054) levels, but negatively with age (rho = -0.310, P = 0.016) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (rho = -0.412, P < 0.001). In the multivariate analysis, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and nutritional status were significant predictors of hemoglobin (R(2) = 34.0%).


CONCLUSIONS
This cross-sectional analysis provides evidence of anemia in 36.7% of patients hospitalized at the Landspitali-University Hospital in Reykjavik and shows an association among anemia, deteriorated nutritional status, and inflammation. Future prospective studies are needed to assess the efficacy of adjuvant nutritional support to stabilize or improve nutritional status including anemia in hospitalized elderly.
Ramel
Alfons
A
Unit for Nutrition Research, Landspitali-University Hospital, and Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland. alfons@landspitali.is
Jonsson
Palmi V
PV
Bjornsson
Sigurbjorn
S
Thorsdottir
Inga
I
D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D018798:Anemia, Iron-Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001799:Blood Sedimentation; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007055:Iceland / Q000453:epidemiology; D007249:Inflammation / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D009751:Nutritional Requirements; D009752:Nutritional Status; D015995:Prevalence; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000032:analysis; D012737:Sex Factors
D006454:Hemoglobins; D012709:Serum Albumin