TY  - JOUR
A1  - Geisel, Tabea
A1  - Martin, Julia
A1  - Schulze, Bettina
A1  - Schaefer, Roland
A1  - Bach, Matthias
A1  - Virgin, Garth
A1  - Stein, Jürgen
T1  - An etiologic profile of anemia in 405 geriatric patients
T2  - Anemia
N2  - Background: Anemia is a common condition in the elderly and a significant risk factor for increased morbidity and mortality, reducing not only functional capacity and mobility but also quality of life. Currently, few data are available regarding anemia in hospitalized geriatric patients. Our retrospective study investigated epidemiology and causes of anemia in 405 hospitalized geriatric patients. 
Methods: Data analysis was performed using laboratory parameters determined during routine hospital admission procedures (hemoglobin, ferritin, transferrin saturation, C-reactive protein, vitamin B12, folic acid, and creatinine) in addition to medical history and demographics.
Results: Anemia affected approximately two-thirds of subjects. Of 386 patients with recorded hemoglobin values, 66.3% were anemic according to WHO criteria, mostly (85.1%) in a mild form. Anemia was primarily due to iron deficiency (65%), frequently due to underlying chronic infection (62.1%), or of mixed etiology involving a combination of chronic disease and iron deficiency, with absolute iron deficiency playing a comparatively minor role. 
Conclusion: Greater awareness of anemia in the elderly is warranted due to its high prevalence and negative effect on outcomes, hospitalization duration, and mortality. Geriatric patients should be routinely screened for anemia and etiological causes of anemia individually assessed to allow timely initiation of appropriate therapy.
Y1  - 2014
UR  - http://publikationen.ub.uni-frankfurt.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/33352
UR  - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-333527
N1  - Copyright © 2014 Tabea Geisel et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
VL  - 2014
IS  - Article ID 932486
SP  - 1
EP  - 7
PB  - Hindawi
CY  - New York, NY [u.a.]
ER  -