Iron deficiency is associated with increased risk for cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality in the elderly living in long-term care facilities.
OBJECTIVE
The association between serum iron status, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and all-cause mortality remains controversial in the elderly. In the present study, we aim to determine the relevance of serum iron level on the incidences of CVD and all-cause mortality in an elderly population.


METHODS
A baseline cohort of 336 participants, aged ≥65 y, was recruited from eight long-term care facilities between 2002 and 2003. The degree of iron deficiency was defined based on the serum iron level (mild: 40 mg/dL ≤serum iron <60 mg/dL; severe: serum iron <40 mg/dL). Cox proportional hazard regression analyses were adopted to evaluate the relative risks (RRs) of CVD and all-cause death. Taiwan's Department of Health provided the mortality data.


RESULTS
There were 210 deaths during a 5-y follow-up period, 62 of which were due to CVD. The prevalence of iron deficiency among the subjects was 50.3%. Age, sex, body mass index, waist circumference, mean arterial pressure, performance status, lifestyle factors, blood glucose, hemoglobin, lipid, albumin, and high sensitivity C-reactive protein levels were adjusted to compare the RRs of the subjects. The RRs (95% confidence interval) of CVD and all-cause mortality among mildly iron-deficient subjects were 1.08 (0.51-2.29) and 1.63 (1.14-2.31), respectively, and 2.77 (1.28-5.99) and 1.96 (1.26-3.04), respectively, among severely iron-deficient subjects. The severity of iron deficiency was positively associated with CVD and all-cause mortality.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that iron deficiency is independently associated with CVD and all-cause mortality in elderly Taiwanese living in long-term care facilities.
Department of Family Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.
Hua-Shui
HS
Hsu
Chia-Ing
CI
Li
Chiu-Shong
CS
Liu
Cheng-Chieh
CC
Lin
Kuo-Chin
KC
Huang
Tsai-Chung
TC
Li
Hui-Ying
HY
Huang
Wen-Yuan
WY
Lin
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018798:Anemia, Iron-Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000401:mortality; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology* / Q000401:mortality; D002423:Cause of Death; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000097:blood; D000090463:Iron Deficiencies; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology
D007501:Iron