Clinical studyAnemia and decline in physical performance among older persons☆
Section snippets
Methods
Data for this study were collected as part of the Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly (EPESE), a prospective cohort study of older persons. A sample of the eligible population of all persons aged 65 years or older who lived in Iowa and Washington counties, Iowa, was selected (12). Between December 1981 and August 1982, 3673 persons were enrolled in the initial home interview. Follow-up home interviews were conducted annually for 6 years and then again at 10 years.
Results
The mean (± SD) age of the total sample at study baseline was 77 ± 5 years; about 70% were female (Table 1). The mean serum hemoglobin level was 15.0 ± 1.3 g/dL in men and 13.8 ± 1.3 g/dL in women. Twenty-two men and 46 women met criteria for anemia. Anemia was mostly normocytic (79%, n = 54), 10% (n = 7) was microcytic, and 10% (n = 7) was microcytic. A total of 172 subjects (15%; 51 men and 121 women) had borderline anemia (of which 96% [n = 165] were normocytic). Those with anemia were
Discussion
In our community-based study of older persons, anemia defined according to the WHO criteria was associated with a significantly greater decline in physical performance during 4 years. Persons with borderline anemia also had significantly greater physical decline than did those with higher hemoglobin concentrations. These associations were not explained by baseline diseases or by low serum cholesterol, iron, or albumin levels. Anemia was also associated with subsequent physical decline in older
References (31)
- et al.
Serum iron level, coronary artery disease, and all-cause mortality in older men and women
Am J Cardiol
(1997) - et al.
Congestive heart failure hospitalizations and survival in Californiapatterns according to race/ethnicity
Am Heart J
(1999) - et al.
Disability as a public health outcome in the aging population
Annu Rev Public Health
(1996) - et al.
Functional disability and health care expenditures for older persons
Arch Intern Med
(2001) Nutritional Anaemias. Report of a WHO Scientific Group
(1968)- et al.
The pathological consequences of anaemia
Clin Lab Haematol
(2001) - et al.
Pathogenesis of oedema in chronic severe anaemiastudies of body water and sodium, renal function, haemodynamic variables, and plasma hormones
Br Heart J
(1993) - et al.
Experimental iron deficiency in ratsmechanical and electrophysiological alterations in the cardiac muscle
Clin Sci (Colch)
(1996) - et al.
Compensatory and adaptive changes in microcirculation and left ventricular function of patients with chronic iron-deficiency anaemia
Clin Hemorheol Microcirc
(1997) - et al.
Anemia and hemoglobin levels in older personsrelationship with age, gender, and health status
J Am Geriatr Soc
(1992)
Prevalence and causes of anaemia in a geriatric hospitalized population
Gerontology
Incidence of anemia in older peoplean epidemiologic study in a well defined population
J Am Geriatr Soc
The definition of anemia in older persons
JAMA
Established populations for epidemiologic studies of the elderlystudy design and methodology
Aging (Milano)
Physical performance measures in the assessment of older persons
Aging (Milano)
Cited by (0)
- ☆
This work was supported through the National Institute on Aging (contract numbers N01-AG-6-2106, N01-AG-6-2102, and N01-AG-6-2103), Bethesda, Maryland, and through support from Ortho Biotech Products, L.P., Bridgewater, New Jersey. The work of Drs. Penninx, Onder, and Pahor is supported by the National Institutes of Health (Claude Pepper Older Americans Independence Center 5P60 AG 10484-07 and contract number N01-AG-1-2112), Bethesda, Maryland.