title: Long-term mortality risks associated with mild anaemia in older persons: the Busselton Health Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  up to 25% of older people in the USA and other Western countries are anaemic by World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. The objective of this study was to examine the long-term relationships of haemoglobin concentration with all-cause and cause-specific mortality in a community-based sample of Australian adults surveyed in 1978.
  
  
  METHODS
  a community survey of 2,194 adults aged 40+ years in Busselton, Western Australia in 1978 with mortality follow-up to 2001. Cox regression models were used to investigate the relationships of haemoglobin as a continuous measure and anaemia by WHO criteria (women <12 g/dl (7.5 mmol/l); men <13 g/dl (8.1 mmol/l)) with all-cause, cardiovascular and cancer mortality.
  
  
  RESULTS
  anaemia was predominantly mild (>10 g/dl) and normocytic. There was an increased risk of death from all causes and from cancer for men with low haemoglobin. Cancers were predominantly of the prostate and genito-urinary organs, and to a lesser extent the gastrointestinal tract. There was no increased risk of all cause or cancer death in women.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  mild, normocytic anaemia is associated with survival reductions in middle-aged and older men, where it often occurs with prostate, gastrointestinal and other cancers, and should be investigated to exclude treatable causes.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology,  The University of Newcastle and Hunter Medical Research Institute, Callaghan, New South Wales,  Australia.
authors.forename: Kerry A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Chalmers
authors.forename: Matthew W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Knuiman
authors.forename: Mark L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Divitini
authors.forename: David G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Bruce
authors.forename: John K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Olynyk
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Milward
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000740:Anemia / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006306:Health Surveys; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009026:Mortality / Q000639:trends*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D014904:Western Australia; D014944:World Health Organization
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins