Clinical Profile and Etiology of Anaemia in Elderly: A Hospital Based Study at a Tertiary Care in the Sub-Himalayan Region

Abstract

Objectives: The purpose of the present study was to study the clinical profile and aetiology of anaemia in elderly more than 60 years of age at a tertiary care centre. Methods: 147 elderly patients were studied during one year period, who fulfilled the inclusion criteria of age more than 60 years with anaemia, as per World health organisation. A detailed history, thorough clinical examination and symptom analysis, was done in all the patients. Haematological investigations including peripheral smear and biochemical investigations were done in all patients. Morphological pattern of anaemia was classified based on red cell indices and peripheral smear. From preliminary investigation, further studies were planned according to the probable cause of anaemia. The severity of anaemia was assessed according to the WHO Classification. Results: Elderly patients ranged from 60 years to 98 years, with a mean age of 68.29 ± 6.25 years. The number of males in the study group was 88 (59.9%), and females were 59 (40.7%), which was statistically significant (p-value <0.05). The most common type of morphological anaemia among elderly patients was found to be normocytic anaemia followed by microcytic anaemia. Anaemia of chronic disease was found to be the most common etiological type of anaemia followed by iron deficiency anaemia, vitamin B12 deficiency and anaemia due to acute blood loss. Conclusion: Hospitalised patients have more severe anaemia compared to population-based studies where mild anaemia predominates. The morphological and etiological type of anaemia proportions is identical in both population and hospital-based studies.