A PROSPECTIVE OBSERVATIONAL STUDY OF CLINICAL PROFILE IN ETIOLOGY OF ANEMIA IN ELDERLY-A HOSPITAL BASED STUDY IN A TERTIARY CARE CENTRE IN SOUTH INDIA

Background: Anemia is often considered as a normal physiological process that occurs with aging. but recently since past 2 decades anemia of any degree is being recognized as significant independent contributor to morbidity mortality and frailty in elderly patients. It is easy to overlook anemia in elderly as symptoms of anemia like fatigue, SOB etc are often attributed to aging process itself. many evidences accumulated states that anemia of any degree reflects poor health and increased vulnerability to poor outcomes.

Materials and methods: This study was conducted in the department of internal medicine in a tertiary care hospital over a period of one year with sample size of 362 subjects satisfying the inclusion and exclusion criteria after taking the consent form.  

Results: Moderate degree anaemia was the commonest around, 65.6% followed by severe degree anemia 20.1%. Easy fatigability was the commonest symptom and pallor was the commonest sign of anaemia in elderly. Anemia is not always a consequence of aging. Anemia of unexplained etiology constituted 15.97% of total study population.

Conclusion: Anaemia in elderly is a challenge and has to be approached in an organized manner for appropriate diagnosis and evaluation to look into its cause and plan management to improve the quality of life of the elderly persons.An effort should always be made to reach etiological diagnosis before instituting specific therapy.