[Anemia in elderly patients admitted to an acute geriatric ward].
OBJECTIVE
To describe the characteristics, prevalence and prognostic of anemia in older patients admitted to an acute geriatric unit.


METHODS
A prospective descriptive study was conducted on patients admitted to a geriatric unit. Anemia was defined using the World Health Organization criteria. A comprehensive geriatric assessment was performed on all patients. When possible, a telephone follow-up re-evaluation (mortality, functional status) was performed one year after discharge.


RESULTS
A total of 145 patients were studied. The mean age was 81 years, and 93 (64.13%) were anemic. Chronic diseases and iron deficiency anemia were the most frequent. Anemic patients had lower scores in the Barthel Index (P<.05). The mortality one year after discharge was 47.9%, with no differences between anemic or non-anemic patients (OR 2.07, [0.98-4.4]). All the geriatric indexes (Barthel index; Charlson comorbidity index, Mini-mental state examination and Mini Nutritional Assessment) showed worse scores in patients who died one year after discharge.


CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of anemia in the elderly admitted to a geriatric unit is elevated, and associated with a poorer functional status.
Servicio de Medicina Interna, Hospital Universitario Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, España. Electronic address: sheilarr1980@hotmail.com.
Sheila
S
Romero-Ruperto
Servicio de Medicina Interna, Hospital Universitario Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, España.
María Carmen
MC
Pérez-Bocanegra
Servicio de Medicina Interna, Hospital Universitario Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, España.
Montserrat
M
Duran-Taberna
Servicio de Medicina Interna, Hospital Universitario Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, España.
Ainhoa
A
Toscano-Rivera
Servicio de Medicina Interna, Hospital Universitario Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, España.
José
J
Barbé-Gil Ortega
Servicio de Medicina Interna, Hospital Universitario Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, España.
Antonio
A
San José-Laporte
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000740:Anemia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D005853:Geriatrics; D006748:Hospital Departments; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010343:Patient Admission; D015995:Prevalence; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors
Anemia; Comprehensive geriatric assessment; Edad avanzada; Elderly; Functional status; Mortalidad; Mortality; Situación funcional; Valoración geriátrica integral