Anemia and frailty in the elderly hospitalized in an acute unit: Preliminary results

Methods of Assessing Frailty in the Critically Ill: A Systematic Review of the Current Literature

INTRODUCTION

As new treatments have become established, more frail pre-ICU patients are being admitted to intensive care units (ICUs); this is creating new challenges to provide adequate care and to ensure that resources are allocated in an ethical and economical manner. This systematic review evaluates the current standard for assessing frailty on the ICU, including methods of assessment, time point of measurements, and cut-offs.

METHODS

A systematic search was conducted on MEDLINE, Clinical Trials, Cochrane Library, and Embase. Randomized and non-randomized controlled studies were included that evaluated diagnostic tools and ICU outcomes for frailty. Exclusion criteria were the following: studies without baseline assessment of frailty on ICU admission, studies in paediatric patients or pregnant women, and studies that targeted very narrow populations of ICU patients. Eligible articles were included until January 31, 2021. Methodological quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. No meta-analysis was performed, due to heterogeneity.

RESULTS

N = 57 articles (253,376 patients) were included using 19 different methods to assess frailty or a surrogate. Frailty on ICU admission was most frequently detected using the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) (n = 35, 60.3%), the Frailty Index (n = 5, 8.6%), and Fried's frailty phenotype (n = 6, 10.3%). N = 22 (37.9%) studies assessed functional status. Cut-offs, time points, and manner of baseline assessment of frailty on ICU admission varied widely. Frailty on ICU admission was associated with short- and long-term mortality, functional and cognitive impairment, increased health care dependency, and impaired quality of life post-ICU discharge.

CONCLUSIONS

Frailty assessment on the ICU is heterogeneous with respect to methods, cut-offs, and time points. The CFS may best reflect frailty in the ICU. Frailty assessments should be harmonized and performed routinely in the critically ill.

High anemia prevalence in Korean older adults, an advent healthcare problem: 2007-2016 KNHANES

BACKGROUND

Anemia is associated with high morbidity and mortality in older people. However, the prevalence and characteristics of anemia in older individuals are not fully understood, and national data on these aspects in older Korean adults are lacking. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and characteristics of anemia in older adults using data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES), which is a nationwide cross-sectional epidemiological study conducted by the Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare.

METHODS

Data from a total of 62,825 participants of the 2007-2016 KNHANES were compiled and analyzed to investigate differences in participant characteristics and potential risk factors for anemia. Differences in clinical characteristics of participants were compared across subgroups using the chi-square test for categorical variables and independent t-test for continuous variables. Univariate and multivariate analyses using logistic regression were performed to identify related clinical factors.

RESULTS

The prevalence of anemia was higher in the population aged ≥65 years than in the younger population. Anemia was also more prevalent among females than among males, but this difference was not significant in people aged > 85 years. Being underweight, receiving a social allowance, living alone, and having comorbidities such as hypertension, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes mellitus (DM), cancer, and chronic renal failure (CRF) were more common among older adults with anemia than among the population without anemia. In univariate and multivariate analyses, older age, female sex, underweight, and presence of comorbidities including rheumatoid arthritis, DM, cancer, and CRF were associated with an increased risk of anemia.

CONCLUSIONS

This study revealed that age, female sex, underweight, and the presence of comorbidities such as rheumatoid arthritis, DM, cancer, and CRF were associated with an increased risk of anemia in older Korean adults. Further study on causal relationships between anemia and other variables in the older population is necessary.

[Anaemia: What is its relationship with the frailty syndrome in elderly patients?]

Anaemia is often unexpectedly found, or in a context of investigations into a chest pain, dyspnoea, or weakness. This disorder can be considered an indicator of health status in elderly patients, and has been related to the frailty syndrome. A systematic review was conducted on the studies published in PubMed and Google Scholar databases in the period from January 1999 to May 2019. The search was limited to those studies published regarding anaemia and its relationship to the frailty syndrome. Anaemia seems to be part of the immunosenescence process that can explain frailty syndrome in association with other metabolism, endocrine, and inflammatory disorders. It was unable to be determined if anaemia is responsible for frailty or a result of it.

Prevalence of anemia in hospitalized internal medicine patients: Correlations with comorbidities and length of hospital stay

BACKGROUND

Several studies have documented a linear growth of the prevalence of anemia with aging. Especially in hospitalized elderly patients, anemia can aggravate the course of chronic disorders, and ultimately get worse the clinical outcomes.

METHODS

To evaluate the distribution, the main causes, and the possible correlations of anemia with comorbidities and length of hospitalization in a population of internal medicine inpatients, we carried out an observational study on a cohort of 923 consecutive admissions relative to 856 subjects.

RESULTS

Anemia was observed in 58.4% of patients, with an increase of the prevalence with increasing age regardless gender difference. In more than one-half of anemic patients, anemia was mild. Chronic inflammation and chronic renal failure were the most frequent causes of anemia in our population, and in >35% of patients a multifactorial anemia was diagnosed. Age, chronic renal failure, chronic liver disease, hematological malignancies, solid tumors, and antiplatelet therapy showed a significantly independent association with the presence of anemia. Hemoglobin levels were influenced by the presence of chronic lung disease, chronic renal failure, hematological malignancies, solid tumors, and antiplatelet therapy. The presence and the degree of anemia also correlated with a significantly longer hospital stay.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data confirm the high prevalence of anemia in patients hospitalized in an Internal Medicine Department, with a remarkable burden of mild forms, and of chronic inflammation's pathogenic mechanism. Correlations with comorbidities and duration of hospital stay highlight the crucial part played by anemia in determining the clinical complexity of such patients.

The Relationship between Anaemia and Frailty: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies

BACKGROUND

There is increasing evidence that frailty may play a role in chronic diseases, but the associations with specific chronic disorders are still unclear.

OBJECTIVES

To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis assessing the association of anaemia and frailty in observational studies.

METHODS

The review was performed according to PRISMA guidelines. We searched PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase from 01/01/2002-10/09/2017. Pooled estimates were obtained through random effect models and Mantel-Haenszel weighting. Homogeneity was assessed with the I2 statistic. Publication bias was assessed with Egger's and Begg's tests.

RESULTS

Nineteen studies were included; two longitudinal, seventeen cross-sectional. All studies except three reported an association between anaemia and frailty. The pooled prevalence of prefrailty in individuals with anaemia was 49% (95% CI=38-59%; I2=89.96%) and 24% (95% CI=17-31%; I2= 94.78%) for frailty. Persons with anaemia had more than a twofold odds of frailty (pooled OR=2.24 95% CI=1.53-3.30; I2=91.8%). Only two studies longitudinally examined the association between anaemia and frailty, producing conflicting results.

CONCLUSIONS

Frailty and prefrailty are common in anaemic persons. Older persons with anaemia have more than a two-fold increased odds of frailty. These results may have clinical implications, as they identify the need to assess frailty in anaemic people and investigate any potential negative effects associated with the co-occurrence of both conditions. Longitudinal research that examines temporal changes in anaemia and effect of treatment are needed to further clarify the relationship between anaemia and frailty.