Association of Anemia with Activities of Daily Living in Chinese Female Centenarian.

Abstract

Although anemia and activities of daily living (ADL) disability in female elderly are common conditions and are more likely to occur as people age, little is known about the association of anemia with ADL in female centenarians. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between anemia and ADL disability in Chinese female centenarians. We conducted a population-based cross-sectional study of a sample of 822 Chinese female centenarians from 2014 to 2016. Blood analysis, home interview, and physical examination were performed following standard procedures. ADL disability was defined as a Barthel Index total score≤60. The prevalence of anemia and ADL disability were 66.8% and 29.7% respectively in Chinese female centenarians. Multiple logistic regression analyses revealed that inflammation (OR = 2.280, 95% CI, 1.524-3.410), underweight (OR = 1.653, 95% CI, 1.186-2.303), anemia (OR = 1.775, 95% CI, 1.250-2.521), and living with family (OR = 0.518, 95% CI, 0.302-0.888) were significant factors related to ADL disability. Centenarians with severe anemia had an approximately fourfold greater likelihood of ADL disability than those without anemia (OR =3.747; 95% CI 1.525-9.206). An apparent dose-response relationship was found between anemia and ADL disability. These findings may provide some insights into targeted intervention for maintaining ADL independence in female centenarians, especially encouraging the interventions of anemia to improve ADL.