Anemia among the elderly attending a family health center, Menoufia University, Egypt

Abstract

Objective The aim of the present study was to assess the prevalence of anemia and the associated cognitive and nutritional status among the elderly attending the Munshat Sultan Family Health Center. Background Anemia is a common health problem with serious consequences among the elderly. Multiple studies demonstrate that anemia is an independent risk factor for increased morbidity and mortality among the elderly. Patients and methods This case-controlled, cross-sectional study was conducted on 200 elderly persons of both sexes recruited from Munshat Sultan Family Health Center, Menoufia district, Menoufia governorate, Egypt. Initially, the sample size was calculated to be 163, which was then increased to 200. All participants underwent a comprehensive medical history and clinical evaluation, and then complete blood count was measured, and anemia was defined according to the WHO criteria (hemoglobin level Results The study revealed that the prevalence of anemia was 17.5% among the participants (19.3% among men and 16.7% among women), 16% had mild anemia, and 1.5% had moderate anemia, which significantly increased with age in the anemic group compared with the nonanemic group. Anemia increased significantly among participants with a history of blood loss and intake of NSAIDs (P = 0.01 and 0.003, respectively). The impact of anemia on functional status showed a significant difference between anemic and nonanemic groups as regards instrumental activity of daily living; moreover, there was a significant correlation between anemia and minimental state examination (P Conclusion Anemia represented a significant health problem among the elderly with bad drawbacks on their functional level and cognitive function.