Prevalence of anemia in the elderly

Choi, Chul Won; Park, Kyung Hwa; Yoon, So Young; Paek, Chang Won; Seo, Jae Hong; Choi, Kyung Mook; Kim, Byung Soo; Baik, Sei Hyun; Shin, Sang Won; Kim, Yeul Hong; Kim, Jun Suk

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Anemia is the most common hematologic problem encountered in the elderly. We conducted this prospective study to define the prevalence and characteristics of anemia in the elderly.
METHODS
From August 1999 to October 1999, volunteers with age of 60 or more living in southwest area of Seoul, Korea were selected. Hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume, red cell distribution width and iron profile were evaluated. WHO criteria cut off value of hemoglobin for the diagnosis of anemia was used, 13 g/dL in men and 12 g/dL in women.
RESULTS
A total 1716 community residents aged 60 years or older were studied. Male to female ratio was 344:1372, and median age was 70 years (range:60-92). The prevalence of anemia was 10.2% in men (35/344) and 14.1% in women (194/1372). Normocytic anemia was most common, followed by macrocytic and microcytic anemia in order.
CONCLUSION
The prevalence of anemia over the age of 60 was 10.2% in men and 14.1% in women and normocytic anemia was the most common type in our series. Considering that macrocytic anemia was more common than microcytic anemia, we suggest that screening profile for the detection of anemia in older persons should include the level of folate and vitamin B12.