Weakness, Irritability
Roughly 13% of people over the age of 70 are anemic, meaning that their capacity to carry oxygen in the blood is compromised. As a result, people with anemia often feel weak, tired, dizzy, or irritable. If not treated it can force the heart to work harder, leading to more serious consequences.
In elderly people, anemia can often be caused by an underlying disease such as cancer or kidney failure or by treatments for these diseases. Poor nutrition is a less common cause among the elderly, and no cause can be identified in about 30% of cases.
Penninx and colleagues followed a group of 1,146 people over the age of 70 for about four years, during which time they assessed physical abilities such as standing balance, walking, and the ability to rise from a chair. By the end of the study, two-thirds of the participants had experienced some declines and 30% experienced substantial declines.
The researchers also found that elderly people with anemia were associated with a 150% increase in hospitalization risk and a 200% increase in risk of being admitted to a nursing home.
People with borderline anemia were found to be at 1.5 times the risk of those who were not anemic. The findings are published in the August issue of The American Journal of Medicine.
"This study suggests that even mild anemia is a risk factor linked to reduced ability of older people to function at their fullest potential," National Institute of Aging epidemiologist Jack Guralnik, MD, PhD, says in a news release. "Further research will tell us whether the treatment of anemia can prevent the progressive decline in function that eventually results in disability."
Weakness, Irritability
Roughly 13% of people over the age of 70 are anemic, meaning that their capacity to carry oxygen in the blood is compromised. As a result, people with anemia often feel weak, tired, dizzy, or irritable. If not treated it can force the heart to work harder, leading to more serious consequences.
In elderly people, anemia can often be caused by an underlying disease such as cancer or kidney failure or by treatments for these diseases. Poor nutrition is a less common cause among the elderly, and no cause can be identified in about 30% of cases.
Penninx and colleagues followed a group of 1,146 people over the age of 70 for about four years, during which time they assessed physical abilities such as standing balance, walking, and the ability to rise from a chair. By the end of the study, two-thirds of the participants had experienced some declines and 30% experienced substantial declines.
The researchers also found that elderly people with anemia were associated with a 150% increase in hospitalization risk and a 200% increase in risk of being admitted to a nursing home.
People with borderline anemia were found to be at 1.5 times the risk of those who were not anemic. The findings are published in the August issue of The American Journal of Medicine.
"This study suggests that even mild anemia is a risk factor linked to reduced ability of older people to function at their fullest potential," National Institute of Aging epidemiologist Jack Guralnik, MD, PhD, says in a news release. "Further research will tell us whether the treatment of anemia can prevent the progressive decline in function that eventually results in disability."
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