Anemia and cognitive performance in hospitalized older patients: results from the GIFA study

Cognitive impairment in patients with heart failure: molecular mechanism and therapy

Heart failure (HF) is associated with multiple organ dysfunction and many comorbidities. Its incidence is high among the elderly and is a major health burden worldwide. Cognitive impairment (CI) is highly prevalent in older patients with HF, which is an abnormality in one or more of the items of cognition, attention, memory, language, psychomotor function, and visual spatial acuity. Studies have shown that the incidence of CI in HF patients is between 13 and 54%, and patients with both conditions have poor self-care ability and prognosis, as well as increased mortality rates. However, the mechanisms of CI development in HF patients are still unclear. In this review, we describe the epidemiology and risk factors as well as measures of improving CI in HF patients. We update the latest pathophysiological mechanisms related to the neurocognitive changes in HF patients, expounding on the mechanisms associated with the development of CI in HF patients.

Association of Anemia with Cognitive Function and Dementia Among Older Adults: The Role of Inflammation

BACKGROUND

The association of anemia with cognitive function and dementia remains unclear.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to investigate the association of anemia with cognitive function and dementia risk and to explore the role of inflammation in these associations.

METHODS

Within the UK Biobank, 207,203 dementia-free participants aged 60+ were followed for up to 16 years. Hemoglobin (HGB) and C-creative protein (CRP) were measured from blood samples taken at baseline. Anemia was defined as HGB <13 g/dL for males and <12 g/dL for females. Inflammation was categorized as low or high according to the median CRP level (1.50 mg/L). A subset of 18,211 participants underwent cognitive assessments (including global and domain-specific cognitive). Data were analyzed using linear mixed-effects model, Cox regression, and Laplace regression.

RESULTS

Anemia was associated with faster declines in global cognition (β= -0.08, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.14, -0.01) and processing speed (β= -0.10, 95% CI: -0.19, -0.01). During the follow-up of 9.76 years (interquartile range 7.55 to 11.39), 6,272 developed dementia. The hazard ratio of dementia was 1.57 (95% CI: 1.38, 1.78) for people with anemia, and anemia accelerated dementia onset by 1.53 (95% CI: 1.08, 1.97) years. The risk of dementia tended to be higher in people with both anemia and high CRP (1.89, 95% CI: 1.60, 2.22). There was a statistically significant interaction between anemia and CRP on dementia risk (p-interaction = 0.032).

CONCLUSIONS

Anemia is associated with cognitive decline (specifically for processing speed) and increased risk of dementia, especially in people with high inflammation.

What are optimum target levels of hemoglobin in older adults?

AIM

The aim of this study is to identify optimum target levels of hemoglobin (Hgb) in older males and females according to cognitive performance, mood state, nutrition intake, balance-walking functions, muscle strength and performance in daily life activities.

METHOD

A total of 1942 geriatric patients who had undergone comprehensive geriatric assessment were evaluated. The patient's demographic characteristics, comorbid diseases, number of drugs, cognitive performance, mood and nutritional states, basic and instrumental daily living activity indexes were obtained from hospital files. Hgb levels were analyzed on the same day. Receiver Operating Characteristic analysis was used to detect the optimum level of Hgb according to the best performance of geriatric assessment parameters.

RESULTS

1095 participants took part of who 71.9% were female and the mean age was 76.92 ± 7.38 years (65-103 years). There was a significant negative correlation between age, number of drugs used, Geriatric Depression Scale-15, Timed Up and Go test and Hgb in both sexes while a significant positive correlation was found between Barthel and Lawton activities of daily living, Tinetti test, Mini Nutritional Assessment, Mini-Mental State Examination and Hgb (p < 0.05). The optimum Hgb levels were ≥ 13.0 for females and ≥ 13.9 in males.

CONCLUSION

Findings from the present study in relation to Hgb and key geriatric evaluation parameters suggests that the optimum level of Hgb for older females and males is higher than the level of Hgb in current definitions. Data from this study suggest that the optimum value of the Hgb level is 13.0 for females and 13.9 for males.

The Interplay between Anticholinergic Burden and Anemia in Relation to 1-Year Mortality among Older Patients Discharged from Acute Care Hospitals

Anticholinergic burden (ACB) and anemia were found associated with an increased risk of death among older patients. Additionally, anticholinergic medications may contribute to the development of anemia. Therefore, we aimed at investigating the prognostic interplay of ACB and anemia among older patients discharged from hospital. Our series consisted of 783 patients enrolled in a multicenter observational study. The outcome of the study was 1 year mortality. ACB was assessed by an Anticholinergic Cognitive Burden score. Anemia was defined as hemoglobin < 13 g/dL in men and <12 g/dL in women. The association between study variables and mortality was investigated by Cox regression analysis. After adjusting for several potential confounders, ACB score = 2 or more was significantly associated with the outcome in anemic patients (HR = 1.93, 95%CI = 1.13–3.40), but not non anemic patients (HR = 1.51, 95%CI = 0.65–3.48). An additive prognostic interaction between ACB and anemia was observed (p = 0.02). Anemia may represent a relevant effect modifier in the association between ACB and mortality.

Anemia and Cognitive Performance in the ELSA-Brasil Cohort Baseline

OBJECTIVE

The association between cognitive performance and hemoglobin concentration has long been a topic of debate, but few data for middle-aged persons have been explored. The authors examined the association between anemia and cognitive performance at baseline assessment in the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil), a multicenter cohort study of individuals from six Brazilian cities.

METHODS

A total of 13,624 participants (mean age=51.6 years [SD=9.0]) were included in this cross-sectional study. Cognitive performance was evaluated by using standardized scores for verbal learning, late recall, word recognition, a semantic verbal fluency test, and the Trail-Making Test, Part B (TMT-B). The association between anemia and cognitive performance was examined by using linear regression models adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics and cardiovascular risk factors.

RESULTS

Anemia was diagnosed in 713 (5.2%) participants. No association was found between anemia and worse cognitive performance for the main models. Global cognitive scores were similar between participants with and without anemia in adjusted models for the entire sample (β=-0.004; 95% CI=-0.052, 0.044) or for men (β=0.047; 95% CI=-0.053, 0.146) and women (β=-0.015; 95% CI=-0.070, 0.040) separately. In addition, hemoglobin levels (in quintile groups) were not associated with global cognitive scores. Similarly, no significant associations with anemia or hemoglobin levels were observed when each cognitive performance test was evaluated separately.

CONCLUSIONS

Anemia and hemoglobin levels were not associated with worse cognitive performance in this large cohort.

The cross-sectional association between mean corpuscular volume level and cognitive function in Chinese over 45 years old: Evidence from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study

Fewer studies have focused on the independent association between mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and cognitive performance. This study was designed to characterize the cross-sectional association between MCV and cognitive performance in a large sample of Chinese residents (age≥45 years) from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). A total of 4023 male and 4173 female adults with MCV ≥ 80 fl were included for analysis. By multivariable linear regression analysis, for the total subjects, MCV level was significantly negatively associated with global cognitive function and episodic memory. When adjusted by sex, only in male subjects, higher MCV level was associated with reduced scores for global cognitive function, episodic memory and mental status. Via binary logistic regression analysis, the higher MCV level (MCV>100 fl) was associated with poor global cognitive function (OR = 1.601; 95% CI = 1.198–2.139; p = 0.001), episodic memory (OR = 1.679; 95% CI = 1.281–2.201; p<0.001), and mental status (OR = 1.422; 95% CI = 1.032–1.959; p = 0.031) for the whole participants. When testing this association by sex, the significant relationship between higher MCV level with worse episodic memory was observed both in male (OR = 1.690; 95% CI = 1.211–2.358; p = 0.002) and female (OR = 1.729; 95% CI = 1.079–2.770; p = 0.023) subjects; while the association between higher MCV level and poor global cognitive function (OR = 1.885; 95% CI = 1.329, 2.675; p<0.001) and mental status (OR = 1.544; 95% CI = 1.034, 2.306; p = 0.034) only existed in male subjects. Further studies are warranted to clarify the association between MCV level and cognitive performance by considering sex into consideration both cross-sectionally and longitudinally.

Hemoglobin, anemia, and poststroke cognitive impairment: A cohort study

OBJECTIVES

Several studies have demonstrated that anemia was associated with cognitive impairment. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between hemoglobin and cognitive impairment in patient with acute ischemic stroke.

METHODS

In total, 326 patients with acute ischemic stroke were followed up for 1 month. The main outcome was the incidence and severity of poststroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) assessed by Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). The impact of hemoglobin levels and anemia on PSCI was assessed by multiple regression models controlling for potential confounders.

RESULTS

During the 1-month follow-up, 193 (59.2%) patients developed PSCI. Anemia was independently associated with PSCI (OR = 3.637; 95% CI, 1.216-10.881; P = .021) after adjusting for demographics, vascular risk factors, stroke severity, and functional outcome. When the hemoglobin levels stratified into tertiles, higher hemoglobin levels were associated with better cognitive function. This result was however not significant after adjusting for the same confounders above.

CONCLUSIONS

Low hemoglobin levels are associated with an increased risk of PSCI. Targeted interventions in this population may reduce the incidence of PSCI and require further evaluation.

Association between anemia and cognitive decline among Chinese middle-aged and elderly: evidence from the China health and retirement longitudinal study

Background

Our objective was to characterize the relationship of anemia and hemoglobin concentrations with cross-sectional cognitive functions and changes in cognitive functions over 2 years in a large sample of Chinese middle aged and elderly.

Methods

Ten thousand nine hundred eighteen adults aged 45 years or older participating in the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) were used for cross-sectional analyses and 9324 were used for longitudinal analysis. Cognitive functions were assessed by memory recall (episodic memory), mental status (TICS), and global cognitive function at baseline survey (Visit 1) and first follow-up survey (Visit 2). The lower the cognitive test score, the worse the cognitive function. Anemia was defined as hemoglobin concentrations lower than 13 g/dl for men and lower than 12 g/dl for women. Adjusted multivariate regression analyses were used to explore the relationships of different cognitive domains with anemia and hemoglobin concentration.

Results

Overall, the prevalence of anemia was 12.86% and the mean hemoglobin concentration was 14.37 ± 2.20 g/dl. After adjusting for socio-demographic and health-related covariates, the cross-sectional association between anemia and global cognitive function [β (95%CI) = − 0.49(− 0.69~ − 0.29)], episodic memory [β (95%CI) = − 0.14(− 0.23~ − 0.05)], and TICS [β (95%CI) = − 0.23(− 0.38~ − 0.08)] were significant and did not differ by gender. The hemoglobin concentration was also associated with global cognitive function among the whole sample (P < 0.05 for all). The longitudinal analyses showed global cognitive function and episodic memory were associated with anemia independent of covariates (P < 0.05 for all). Sensitivity analyses further provided significant results showing the association between anemia and cognition decline (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

There was a cross-sectional and longitudinal association between anemia and accelerated decline in cognitive functions in Chinese middle-aged and elderly. This suggests that anemia and low hemoglobin concentrations are independent risk factors of cognitive decline.

[Anemia in the aged]

Anemia in the aged is still often an underestimated clinical problem; however, in recent years increasing research on this topic has permitted deeper insights, allowing a differentiated approach to anemia in the aged. Meanwhile, multicausality and a negative impact on functional outcome have become characteristics of anemia in older people. This has led to a scientific discussion on the question of accepting anemia as a geriatric syndrome. The present article gives a concise overview of the current state of research on this clinically relevant subject.

Anemia in the aged is not ageing related: position paper on anemia in the aged by the "working group anemia" of the German Geriatric Society (DGG)

Anemia in the aged is a frequent but still under-estimated problem in geriatric patients. However, in recent years increasing research on anemia in the aged has improved awareness and interest in this clinically relevant problem. Guidelines for diagnostic and therapeutic steps are now required to improve the treatment of anemic aged patients. For encouraging the development of diagnostic and therapeutic recommendations, the "working group anemia" of the German Geriatric Society (DGG) has issued a position paper on anemia in the aged, based on the current literature. The statements are (1) that anemia has to be considered a highly prevalent but not a physiologic finding in aged persons; (2) that reference values for hemoglobin concentration are independent of age, indicating that WHO reference values for anemia definition are valid for aged persons; (3) that anemia in the aged is associated with functional and cognitive impairment based on comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA), requiring diagnosis and treatment.

[Iron, a "miralcle cure" for chronic cardiac insufficiency?]

Anemia and chronic heart failure are frequent comorbidities in geriatric patients. In approximately one third of older adults the cause of the anemia is an iron, vitamin B12 and/or folate deficiency and in another third a chronic inflammatory process is present. In the case of iron deficiency a differentiation must be made between the absolute and functional forms. Although in functional iron deficiency ferritin, as a parameter of iron metabolism, is within the normal range or can even be higher, an iron-deficient erythropoiesis is present. In cardiac insufficiency a chronic inflammatory process is assumed. According to the recent guidelines of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Kardiologie (DGK, German Cardiac Society) and European Society of Cardiology (ESC) a routine contol of the iron status should be performed and, if necessary, initiation of adequate supplementation is recommended.

Bone Mineral Density and Cognitive Decline in Elderly Women: Results from the InCHIANTI Study

Osteoporosis and cognitive impairment, which are highly prevalent conditions in elderly populations, share several risk factors. This study aims at evaluating the association of bone mineral density (BMD) with prevalent and incident cognitive impairment after a 3-year follow-up. We studied 655 community-dwelling women aged 65+ participating in the InCHIANTI study, who had been followed for 3 years. Total, trabecular, and cortical BMD were estimated by peripheral quantitative computed tomography using standard transverse scans at 4 and 38 % of the tibial length. Cognitive performance was evaluated using the Mini-Mental State Examination and the Trail Making Tests (TMT) A and B; a MMSE score <24 was adopted to define cognitive impairment. The TMT A-B score was calculated as the difference between TMT-A and TMT-B times (ΔTMT). The association of cognitive performance after 3 years with baseline indices of BMD was assessed by logistic and linear regression analyses. Cortical, but not trabecular, BMD was independently associated with incident cognitive impairment (OR 0.93, 95 % CI 0.88-0.98; P = 0.012), worsening cognitive performance (OR 0.96, 95 % CI 0.92-0.98; P = 0.039), and worsening performance in ΔTMT (OR 0.96, 95 % CI 0.92-0.99; P = 0.047). Increasing cortical BMD tertiles was associated with decreasing probability of incident cognitive impairment (P for linear trend =0.001), worsening cognitive performance (P = 0.013), and a worsening performance below the median value (P for linear trend <0.0001). In older women, low BMD might represent an independent and early marker of subsequent cognitive impairment. Physicians should assess and monitor cognitive performance in the routine management of elderly women with osteoporosis.

Nephroprevention in the oldest old with chronic kidney disease: Special considerations

Nephroprevention strategies are crucial for handling chronic kidney disease (CKD) complications, and slowing its progression. However, these preventative measures should be guided by major geriatrics principles in order to help nephrologists to adequately handle the oldest old with CKD. These geriatric concepts consist of taking into account the relevance of choosing an individualized therapy, handling clinical frailty, and keeping a geriatric perspective which means that a good quality of life is sometimes a more important therapeutic objective in octogenarians than merely prolonging life. Even though nephroprevention strategies for treating the oldest old with CKD are basically similar to those applied to younger patients such as low sodium and protein diet, optimized hemoglobin levels, blood pressure and metabolic control, the treating physician or care provider must at all times be ready to make fundamental adjustments and tweak patient care paradigms and objectives if and when the initial therapeutic options applied have caused unintended clinical consequences and complications. Additionally, the sarcopenia status should also be evaluated and treated in very old CKD patients.

Anaemia in the elderly: an aetiologic profile of a prospective cohort of 95 hospitalised patients

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Anaemia is a significant problem in the elderly, and the cause of anaemia in approximately one third of the general population is unidentified. To date, only a few studies have focused on hospitalised patients.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We prospectively included anaemic patients (according to OMS criteria) aged 65 years and older who were hospitalised in the internal medicine department. The typical clinical data were collected, and a standardised set of biological tests, including cupraemia was performed.

RESULTS

Of 360 total patients, 191 (53%) patients were anaemic; however, 96 patients were excluded because their data were incomplete. Of the remaining 95 patients that were included, 45 were men (47.4%) and 50 were women (52.6%); the mean patient age was 79.7 years (66-101 years). At least one cause of anaemia was diagnosed in 87 of the 95 (91.6%) patients, and anaemia was multifactorial in 44 of the 95 (46.3%) cases. The five most prominent causes of anaemia were inflammation (62.1%), iron deficiency (30.5%), folic acid deficiency (21%), chronic renal failure (17.9%) and cobalamin deficiency (11.6%). Microcytosis was present in only 27.5% of the patients who had an iron deficiency, and macrocytosis was present in only 7.4% of the patients who had a folic acid and/or cobalamin deficiency. The cause of anaemia could not be identified for 8 of the patients. The cupraemia was normal in all the patients.

CONCLUSION

A predefined protocol for older hospitalised patients was ability to identify the aetiology of anaemia in 91.6% of the cases; strikingly, anaemia was frequently caused by more than one factor (43.5%). Diagnostic orientation based on the mean corpuscular volume does not appear to correlate with mean cellular volume profile. Finally, anaemia caused by an unknown aetiology is rare and copper deficiency was not documented in any case.

Targeting the hepcidin-ferroportin axis to develop new treatment strategies for anemia of chronic disease and anemia of inflammation

Anemia of chronic disease (ACD) or anemia of inflammation is prevalent in patients with chronic infection, autoimmune disease, cancer, and chronic kidney disease. ACD is associated with poor prognosis and lower quality of life. Management of ACD using intravenous iron and erythropoiesis stimulating agents are ineffective for some patients and are not without adverse effects, driving the need for new alternative therapies. Recent advances in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of iron regulation reveal that increased hepcidin, the iron regulatory hormone, is a key factor in the development of ACD. In this review, we will summarize the role of hepcidin in iron homeostasis, its contribution to the pathophysiology of ACD, and novel strategies that modulate hepcidin and its target ferroportin for the treatment of ACD.

Iron deficiency can cause cognitive impairment in geriatric patients

OBJECTIVES

Deficiency of iron, which plays an important role in oxygen transport and storage, may lead to cerebral hypoxia and cognitive decline. This relationship which was studied in children and adults was not evaluated in the elderly. The objective of this study is to examine the effect of iron deficiency on cognitive function in the elderly.

DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS

This is a cross-sectional study conducted in a geriatric medicine outpatient clinic of a university hospital. Consecutive 2009 patients admitted to Geriatric Medicine outpatient clinic were examined and 622 patients who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were enrolled in the study.

MEASUREMENTS

Comprehensive geriatric assessment, cognitive assessment and laboratory analysis including blood count, iron, total iron binding capacity, ferritin, and transferrin saturation were performed.

RESULTS

Mean age of the study group was 72.5±6.5 and 439 (70.6%) were women. MMSE scores were moderately and significantly correlated with iron levels (r=0.33, p<0.001) and transferrin saturation (r=0.32, p<0.001). Transferrin saturation was significantly lower in the patients with dementia (p=0.040). It was found that patients with iron deficiency had lower MMSE scores (p<0.001) and this relationship was also present in patients without anemia (p=0.004).

CONCLUSION

The results of this study revealed a negative influence of iron deficiency on cognitive function and this influence was independent from the presence of anemia. As iron deficiency can be easily diagnosed and treated, detecting its effect on cognitive function is of importance. Screening for iron deficiency and initiating appropriate treatment should be a routine part of comprehensive geriatric assessment.

Validation of a scoring system to establish the probability of myelodysplastic syndrome in patients with unexplained cytopenias or macrocytosis

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are clonal hematopoietic stem cell disorders primarily seen in the elderly that are characterized by ineffective hematopoiesis and a propensity to develop AML. Clinicians may be hesitant to refer older patients with unexplained cytopenias and/or macrocytosis for a bone marrow biopsy (BM), and consequently undiagnosed patients may be deprived access to effective treatments. Previously, we described factors which were independently predictive of a diagnosis of MDS at time of bone marrow: age ≥65, mean cell volume (MCV), red cell distribution width (RDW), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and suggested a scoring system to calculate the post-test probability of MDS [1]. In this study we validate this scoring system in a cohort of 313 individuals who underwent bone marrow examinations for the investigation of unexplained cytopenias and or macrocytosis over a 3 year period at our institution (2006-2008). Thirty-two percent of all patients were diagnosed with MDS and 9% had suspected MDS. The post-test likelihood of a diagnosis of MDS increased from 12% when none of the four identified factors were present to 48% when 3 or more factors were present. This scoring system can be used to guide the diagnostic testing of patients presenting with unexplained cytopenias or macrocytosis.

Hemoglobin concentration and cognitive impairment in the renal REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) Study

BACKGROUND

There is growing interest in determining the degree of anemia, which is clinically significant. The goal of this study was to determine the association between hemoglobin concentration and cognitive impairment in a large sample of U.S. adults.

METHODS

We used cross-sectional data from 19,701 adults participating in the REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke study. Cognitive impairment was defined as a score of 4 or less on the six-item screener. Hemoglobin was analyzed in 1 g/dL increments relative to the World Health Organization (WHO) threshold (<13 g/dL for men and <12 g/dL for women).

RESULTS

The mean hemoglobin concentration was 13.7 ± 1.5 g/dL. The prevalence of cognitive impairment increased from 4.3% among individuals with a hemoglobin >3 g/dL above the WHO threshold to 16.8% for those with a hemoglobin ≥2 g/dL below the WHO threshold. After adjustment for demographics, chronic health conditions, health status, and inflammation, the association between reduced hemoglobin and cognitive impairment was attenuated and no longer significant, including among those with hemoglobin ≥2 g/dL below the WHO threshold (odds ratio 1.39, 95% confidence interval = 0.94-2.04). A test for linear trend was of borderline significance (p value = .06). For 94% of the sample within 2 g/dL of the WHO threshold, there was no relationship between hemoglobin concentration and the odds of cognitive impairment. The associations did not differ by sex and race.

CONCLUSIONS

Within a large sample of community-dwelling adults, there was no significant association between hemoglobin concentration and cognitive impairment after multivariable adjustment.

Anemia and the risk of non-vertebral fractures: the Tromsø Study

In this longitudinal study of 5,286 persons, men with anemia had a 2.15 higher risk of non-vertebral fractures than men with high hemoglobin levels. Women with anemia had no increased fracture risk.

INTRODUCTION

Low hemoglobin levels are associated with several risk factors for fractures such as low physical function, impaired cognition, and low bone mass. The aim of this population-based, prospective study was to examine whether anemia predicts non-vertebral fractures.

METHODS

A total of 5,286 inhabitants from the municipality of Tromsø, Norway (2,511 men and 2,775 women), 55-74 years old at baseline, were followed for mean 8.3 years. Measurements of hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume, height, weight, blood pressure, blood lipids, serum creatinine, and bone mineral density and questionnaire information concerning smoking and drinking habits, physical activity, prevalent diseases, and use of medication was collected before start of follow-up. Non-vertebral fractures were registered during follow-up.

RESULTS

A total of 235 men and 641 women sustained a new non-vertebral fracture. One SD lower value of hemoglobin was associated with a 1.27 higher risk of fracture in men (p < 0.001, after multiple adjustments) and 1.08 (p = 0.07) in women. Men with anemia (hemoglobin levels <13 g/dL) had a 2.15 higher risk of non-vertebral fractures than men with high levels (15.2-18.8, g/dL) whereas women with anemia (hemoglobin levels <12 g/dL) had no increased fracture risk.

CONCLUSION

Anemia is associated with non-vertebral fractures in men but not in women.

Is there an association between low dose aspirin and anemia (without overt bleeding)? Narrative review

BACKGROUND

Overt bleeding associated with low dose aspirin (LDA) is well-recognized, little attention is given to the possibility of association between LDA and occult bleeding, although this is known to occur in healthy volunteers. LDA is used increasingly in primary and secondary prevention of a number of medical conditions, many of which are common in older people, as is anemia. Anemia in older people is associated with adverse outcomes including disability, morbidity and mortality. The purpose of this study was to review the evidence that LDA might cause anemia without overt bleeding.

METHODS

An extensive narrative review was carried out. Electronic searching (including database links) and reference lists of reports were used to identify studies reporting on use of aspirin ≤325 mg/day and anemia or change in hemoglobin (Hb) without overt bleeding. Data were extracted from reports of trials, adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and prevalence studies of adults aged ≥18 years, published since 1980.

RESULTS

There are few relevant data, with considerable heterogeneity among trial designs, duration, and patient characteristics in studies of LDA. In five randomised trials (n = 5879) in (mostly secondary) prevention, the majority of patients were men without peptic ulcer disease aged 50-70 years and no consistent association between LDA and change in Hb was found. In two smaller studies (n = 609) of primary prevention in healthy patients aged ≥70 years, there was a small but statistically significant fall in Hb with LDA. Observational studies, and data from trials in which use of LDA was not a primary focus of the study, were inconclusive.

CONCLUSIONS

It is not clear whether there is an association between LDA and anemia in the absence of overt bleeding, but there may be an association between LDA and fall in Hb in (a subset of) older patients. The available evidence has significant limitations, which are discussed; studies including more older patients, and publication of individual patient data, would help clarify this important matter.

Patterns of cognitive change in elderly patients during and 6 months after hospitalisation: a prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

The extent and patterns of cognitive change regularly occurring in elderly patients who experience prolonged hospitalisation have not been well examined.

OBJECTIVE

To describe patterns of cognitive change during and 6 months after hospitalisation and to identify prognostic factors associated with different patterns of changes.

DESIGN

A prospective cohort study.

SETTING

Five med-surgical units at a tertiary hospital in Taipei, Taiwan.

PARTICIPANTS

Patients ≥65 years old without preexisting profound cognitive impairment (Mini-Mental State Examination score ≥20) and with an expected hospital length of stay >5 days were drawn from consecutive admissions. Of 351 patients, 82.9% (138 women, 153 men, mean age=71.6 years) completed all four scheduled assessments.

METHODS

Cognition was measured by the Mini-Mental State Examination at 4 times: admission, discharge, and 3 and 6 months post-discharge. Possible prognostic factors at admission included demographics, comorbidities, number of medications, serum haemoglobin, length of hospital stay, and surgery.

RESULTS

Four cognitive-change patterns with a high prevalence of decline were identified by cluster analysis. The worsening then improve group (n=47) had a deep V-shape with a mean fluctuation of 3.9 points on the Mini-Mental State Examination, and the low continuous group (n=83) had little change. Both the start high and decline (n=66) and start low and decline (n=95) groups showed persistent and accelerated declines, with baseline cognitive scores of 29.1 and 25.5 points, respectively. Predictor variables at admission for different patterns of cognitive change were age, total education (years), cardiovascular comorbidities, number of medications, functional and nutritional status, depressive symptoms, surgical treatment, and haemoglobin level <12 g/dL.

CONCLUSIONS

Cognitive decline during and after hospitalisation shows four heterogeneous patterns of change. Different patterns of change were predicted by age, education, cardiovascular comorbidities, number of medications, functional and nutritional status, depressive symptoms, surgical treatment, and haemoglobin level <12 g/dL, most of which are potentially modifiable factors.

Relationship between anaemia and cognitive functions in elderly people

BACKGROUND

The primary goal of the present study was to investigate the effects of anaemia on the cognitive functions and daily living activities in elderly people.

METHODS

This sectional study was performed using 180 elderly people. Face-to-face interviews and questionnaires were conducted to evaluate daily activities. To evaluate cognitive functions we used the Folstein's Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE).

RESULTS

The mean age of the anaemic group and the nonanaemic group were 76.0+/-11.7 and 72.5+/-15.2 years, respectively. The average haemoglobin level among the anaemic population was 10.4 g/dL compared with 13.6 g/dL among the nonanaemic population; a statistically significant difference. There was more impairment in functional status (Katz ADL) (6.8+/-4.3 vs 9.3+/-3.7) and cognition (MMSE) (17.9+/-6.4 vs 21.7+/-6.7) in anaemic than nonanaemic groups, respectively. Albumin and body mass index were lower and the percentage of two or more comorbidities was higher in anaemic group compared to the nonanaemic group, which was a statistically significant variation. The anaemic group was more dependent in terms of bathing, dressing, toileting and transferring.

CONCLUSION

In the elderly anaemic group, the dependency for daily activities that require physical effort was higher compared to the nonanaemic group. The MMSE score in the elderly anaemic group was lower than subjects who had normal haemoglobin levels. We conclude that anaemia may impair cognitive functions and some daily living activities in the elderly.

The Impact of Anemia on Nursing Home Residents

The purpose of this secondary data analysis was to describe the prevalence and treatment of anemia and test the impact of anemia on physical and psychosocial outcomes at baseline and following restorative care interventions. A total of 451 residents from 12 nursing homes participated in this study. The average age of the participants was 83.74 ( SD = 8.24), the majority were female (79%), White (66%), and unmarried (90%). A total of 245 (54%) residents were anemic, and 66% were treated with at least one medication. Physical performance was worse in those with anemia, and those with anemia associated with chronic kidney disease had lower self-efficacy and outcome expectations for functional activities than those without anemia. There was no time by treatment interaction between those with and without anemia. The findings provide some additional support for the prevalence of anemia and suggest that those with anemia associated with chronic kidney disease are less motivated to engage in functional activities.

Anemia is associated with the progression of white matter disease in older adults with high blood pressure: the cardiovascular health study

OBJECTIVES

To investigate whether anemia predicts worsening white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) in older community-dwellers.

DESIGN

Prospective cohort study.

SETTING

Older community-dwellers.

PARTICIPANTS

One thousand eight hundred forty-six Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) participants (mean age 73.7 +/- 4.4, 41% male, 15.6% African American).

MEASUREMENTS

Participants had hemoglobin measured and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in 1992/93 and a second brain MRI in 1997/98. Anemia was defined according to World Health Organization criteria (hemoglobin <12 g/dL in women and <13 g/dL in men). Worsening WMHs were determined according to standardized side-by-side readings.

RESULTS

After 5 years, WMHs worsened in 517 participants (28%). Progression was not associated with anemia in the whole sample, in sex or race strata, or in other prespecified subgroups (participants with renal dysfunction or diabetes mellitus), except in participants with high blood pressure (>or=140/90 mmHg). Of the 678 participants with high blood pressure, those with anemia (10.5%) had a 1.79 times greater risk of WMHs worsening (95% confidence interval=1.06-2.98; P for interaction between anemia and high blood pressure=.01) independent of demographics, baseline WMHs, cardiovascular risk factors and comorbidities, medications, renal function, inflammation, and incident stroke (logistic regression models). There was no greater risk in participants with anemia with normal blood pressure.

CONCLUSION

Anemia may contribute to worsening of WMHs in older adults with high blood pressure.

Albumin, haemoglobin, BMI and cognitive performance in older adults

OBJECTIVES

to examine the relationships between serum albumin, haemoglobin and body mass index (BMI) with cognitive performance among community-living older adults.

METHOD

design--population-based cross-sectional study; setting--local community in Southeast Region of Singapore; subjects--Chinese older adults aged 55 and above (N = 2, 550); measurements--serum albumin, haemoglobin, BMI and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE).

RESULTS

in multivariable analyses controlling for gender, age, education and vascular risk factors, low albumin in the bottom quintile (OR 2.04; 95% CI 1.22-3.41) and low haemoglobin in the bottom quintile (OR 1.56; 95% CI 1.00-2.47) and low BMI with chronic comorbidity (OR 1.73; 95%CI 1.02-2.95) were independently associated with poor cognitive performance (MMSE < or = 23). Among cognitively intact respondents (MMSE > or = 24), albumin concentration showed a significant inverse linear relationship with MMSE scores (P for trend =0.002).

CONCLUSION

low albumin, low haemoglobin and low BMI (in the presence of chronic comorbidity) are independently associated with poor cognitive performance in community-living older adults.

Cognitive functioning and chronic heart failure: a review of the literature (2002-July 2007)

PURPOSE

The purposes of this article are to (1) summarize the state of the science about cognitive impairment and heart failure (HF) using the results of a literature search of publications from 2002 through July 2007; (2) provide a focused review of the studies that used a prospective, longitudinal design with measurement at 2 or more time points in order to identify change in cognitive functioning; and (3) identify gaps and priorities for future studies.

METHODS

A computer search of the literature from 2002 through July 2007 was conducted. All of the resulting 97 references were reviewed, categorized into 8 groups, and evaluated.

RESULTS

The 97 studies were categorized as follows: those not directly related to cognitive impairment (n = 15); comments, letters to the editor, and brief summaries (n = 11); reviews (n = 15); data-based publications using screening measures (n = 14); data-based publications using neuropsychological tests (n = 10); data-based publications assessing brain structure and functioning (n = 22); and data-based publications of populations other than HF in which HF emerged as a correlate/predictor of cognitive impairment (n = 10). Many investigators have reported that patients with HF had cognitive impairments compared with healthy persons without HF; approximately 25% to 50% of HF patients experience cognitive impairments. Patients with HF have been found to have structural and functional brain changes, including losses in gray matter in specific areas, areas of silent stroke, and decreased cerebral perfusion. Gaps in our knowledge and future research priorities are proposed.

CONCLUSIONS

Future studies are urgently needed to identify mechanisms of cognitive impairment in HF, prospectively identify changes in cognitive functioning that occur over time, and evaluate screening measures for use in clinical settings.

Prevalence of anaemia in older persons: systematic review

Background

Ageing populations will impact on healthcare provision, especially since extra years are not necessarily spent in good health. It is important to identify and understand the significance of common medical problems in older people. Anaemia may be one such problem. We report on the prevalence of anaemia in cohorts of elderly people in the general population. The presence of anaemia is associated with a worse prognosis for both morbidity and mortality.

Methods

Electronic searching and reference lists of published reports were used to identify studies that reported on prevalence of anaemia in cohorts of at least 100 individuals predominantly aged 65 years and over living in developed countries, together with criteria used to define anaemia. Studies of anaemia prevalence in specific disease groups or published before 1980 were excluded. Prevalence data for the entire cohort, for men and women separately and for different age bands were extracted.

Results

Forty-five studies contributed data. Thirty-four studies (n = 85,409) used WHO criteria to define anaemia. The weighted mean prevalence was 17% (3–50%) overall, and 12% (3–25%) in studies based in the community (27, n = 69,975), 47% (31–50%) in nursing homes (3, n = 1481), and 40% (40–72%) in hospital admissions (4, n = 13,953). Anaemia prevalence increased with age, was slightly higher in men than women, and was higher in black people than white. Most individuals classified as anaemic using WHO criteria were only mildly anaemic.

Conclusion

Anaemia, as defined by WHO criteria, is common in older people living in the community and particularly common in nursing home residents and hospital admissions. Predicted demographic changes underline the need to understand more about anaemia in older people.

Anemia in the elderly: current understanding and emerging concepts

Anemia is currently defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a hemoglobin (Hb) level <13 g/dL in men and <12 g/dL in women. While estimates vary widely, nearly one quarter of community-based octagenerians and one half of the chronically ill elderly have Hb levels that satisfy a diagnosis of anemia according to these criteria. A growing body of evidence has linked adverse events with even "mild" anemia or low-normal Hb in the elderly. Recent studies suggest strongly that aging is associated with dysregulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines, most notably interleukin-6 (IL-6), which may negatively impact hematopoiesis, either by inhibition of erythropoietin (EPO) production or interaction with EPO receptors. Anemia in older individuals is associated with a very wide range of complications, including increased risk for mortality, cardiovascular disease, cognitive dysfunction, longer hospitalization for elective procedures and comorbid conditions, reduced bone density, and falls and fractures. Not surprisingly, anemia also has a significant effect on quality of life (QOL) in the elderly. Most anemia in older individuals results from iron deficiency, chronic inflammation, or chronic kidney disease, or it may be unexplained. Future research on anemia in the elderly should focus on the age-related physiologic changes underlying this condition and whether anemia correction can reduce anemia-associated risks, and improve QOL.