title: Anemia in elderly patients: new insight into an old disorder.
abstract: Anemia is an important healthcare concern among the elderly. In these patients, the anemia is often mild, with a hemoglobin level >10 g/dL. It is usually well tolerated, but might be responsible for several proteiform and/or atypical presenting complaints. In the elderly, anemia is usually of multifactorial origin, including chronic inflammation, chronic kidney disease, nutrient deficiencies and iron deficiency (approximately two-thirds of all cases). The remaining cases are unexplained (unknown etiology). In the elderly, the classic diagnosis of anemia, which is based on the mean corpuscular volume associated with a low hemoglobin level, might not be accurate. A predefined standardized diagnostic procedure should be followed. In the common case of frail elderly patients, all investigations should be carefully considered and invasive examinations undertaken where justified (risk-benefit balance). Nevertheless, most cases of anemia require further investigation and the underlying cause should be identified and treated whenever possible.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Diabetes and Metabolic Disorders, University Hospital of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France. emmanuel.andres@chru-strasbourg.fr
authors.forename: Emmanuel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Andrès
authors.forename: Khalid
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Serraj
authors.forename: Laure
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Federici
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Vogel
authors.forename: Georges
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kaltenbach
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D000740:Anemia / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D014943:Global Health; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009748:Nutrition Disorders / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D015995:Prevalence
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins