title: Prevalence of anemia and malnutrition and their association in elderly nursing home residents.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Malnutrition is one of the most important geriatric syndromes in the elderly. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between anemia and malnutrition in elderly nursing home residents.
  
  
  METHODS
  Local nursing home residents over 60 years old in the Izmir were included in the study. Blood samples were taken from study participants for hemogram, iron, ferritin, total iron-binding capacity, vitamin B12 and folic acid analysis. WHO criteria were used to define anemia. Causes of anemia were classified as iron deficiency, vitamin B12 or folic acid deficiency, anemia of chronic disease or other hematologic causes. Anemia was defined as the dependent variable and malnutrition was defined as the independent variable. Correlation between MNA scores and Hb levels was determined using Pearson correlation analysis. The slope of causality between malnutrition and anemia was determined using the χ (2) test and logistic regression analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study included 257 elderly nursing home residents with a mean age of 78.5 ± 7.8 years. The overall prevalence of anemia was 54.9 %; 35.8 % of the study participants were at risk of malnutrition and 8.2 % were malnourished. Anemia risk was 2.12-fold higher in participants at risk of malnutrition and 5.05-fold higher in those with malnutrition. In the participants with malnutrition or malnutrition risk, the most common cause of anemia was anemia of chronic disease (57.1 and 46.5 %, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of anemia among elderly nursing home residents is high in Turkey. Malnutrition and malnutrition risk increase the incidence of anemia.
authors.affiliation: Division of Geriatrics, Department of Internal Medicine, Ege University Hospital, Izmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Sevnaz
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sahin
authors.affiliation: Division of Geriatrics, Department of Internal Medicine, Ege University Hospital, Izmir, Turkey. pinar.tosun@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Pinar Tosun
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2617-4610
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Tasar
authors.affiliation: Department of Healthcare, Dokuz Eylul University Hospital, Izmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Hatice
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Simsek
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, Istanbul Arel University, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Zeynep
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Çicek
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Ege University Hospital, Izmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Hulya
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Eskiizmirli
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Nursing, Ege University Hospital, Izmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Fisun Senuzun
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Aykar
authors.affiliation: Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, Ege University Hospital, Izmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Fahri
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sahin
authors.affiliation: Division of Geriatrics, Department of Internal Medicine, Ege University Hospital, Izmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Fehmi
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Akcicek
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000740:Anemia / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000379:methods; D006707:Homes for the Aged / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D009735:Nursing Homes / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D009752:Nutritional Status; D015995:Prevalence; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Anemia; Elderly; Geriatrics; Malnutrition