The prevalence and impact of anemia in hospitalized older adults: A single center experience from Bahrain.

OBJECTIVES

This study reports the prevalence of anemia and investigates its associated correlates and outcomes among elderly hospitalized patients in a single hospital in Bahrain.

METHODS

A retrospective study was conducted on 227 consecutive elderly patients admitted under general internal medicine in the biggest tertiary hospital in Bahrain. Medical records were reviewed for all patients, including clinical characteristics, laboratory results, and outcomes.

RESULTS

Anemia was highly prevalent among hospitalized elderly patients (71.6%). Males were significantly more affected than females (p = 0.031). In terms of severity, the most common type was moderate anemia (56.1%); with regards to etiology, the most common type was anemia associated with chronic disease (48.1%). Anemia was as common as other comorbidities, including hypertension (71.4%) and diabetes mellitus (53.7%). When comparing anemic to non-anemic patients, the length of hospital stay was significantly longer (p < 0.001) and inversely correlated to the level of hemoglobin; furthermore, 1-year mortality was significantly higher (p < 0.001). When compared to those with mild anemia, patients with moderate/severe anemia were more likely to die (odds ratio [OR] = 2.2, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.27-4.92).

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of anemia in our study was higher than previously reported. Even so, anemia receives minimal attention and is usually seen as a minor problem. Our results reiterate the need to recognize the high importance of anemia especially when diagnosing and treating older patients. This, in turn, could positively affect a number of outcomes such as mortality, length of stay, and the functional decline of admitted individuals.