Chamba Clara, Nasser Ahlam, Mawalla William F, Masamu Upendo, Budodi Lubuva Neema, Tebuka Erius, Magesa Pius
Department of Haematology and Blood Transfusion, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS), Dar-es-salam, Tanzania.
Department of Internal Medicine, Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH), Dar-es-salaam, Tanzania.
Anemia. 2021 Feb 26;2021:9523836. doi: 10.1155/2021/9523836. eCollection 2021.
Anaemia is a common problem in sub-Saharan Africa. While most literature has focused on children, women of childbearing age, and pregnant women, data for the elderly population are relatively scarce. Anaemia exhorts negative consequences to functional ability of elderly patients, both physically and cognitively. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of anaemia, severity, and micronutrient deficiency status in the elderly hospitalized patients in Tanzania.
A total of 156 hospitalized adults aged 60 years and above were enrolled in this study. A structured questionnaire was used to capture sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Blood samples were collected, and a complete blood count, serum cobalamin, serum ferritin, and serum folate levels were measured to assess anaemia and micronutrient deficiency status in all participants who had anaemia.
The prevalence of anaemia was 79.5% (124/156) with severe anaemia in 33.9% (42/124) of participants, moderate anaemia in 42.7% (53/124) of participants, and 23.4% (29/124) of all participants had mild anaemia. Micronutrient deficiency was found in 14.5% (18/124) of all participants with anaemia. Combined deficiency (either iron and vitamin B12 deficiency or iron and folate deficiency) was the most common micronutrient deficiency anaemia with a frequency of 33.3% (6/18), followed by isolated iron and folate deficiencies at equal frequency of 27.8% (5/18) and vitamin B12 deficiency at 11.1% (2/18).
The prevalence of anaemia in the hospitalized elderly population is high warranting public health attention and mostly present in moderate and severe forms. Micro-nutrient deficiency anaemia is common in this age group and is mostly due to combined micronutrient deficiency.
贫血在撒哈拉以南非洲是一个常见问题。虽然大多数文献聚焦于儿童、育龄妇女和孕妇，但老年人群的数据相对较少。贫血对老年患者的身体和认知功能能力都会产生负面影响。本研究的目的是确定坦桑尼亚老年住院患者贫血的患病率、严重程度及微量营养素缺乏状况。
本研究共纳入156名60岁及以上的住院成年人。使用结构化问卷收集社会人口学和临床特征。采集血样，对所有贫血参与者测量全血细胞计数、血清钴胺素、血清铁蛋白和血清叶酸水平，以评估贫血和微量营养素缺乏状况。
贫血患病率为79.5%（124/156），其中33.9%（42/124）的参与者为重度贫血，42.7%（53/124）的参与者为中度贫血，23.4%（29/124）的参与者为轻度贫血。在所有贫血参与者中，14.5%（18/124）存在微量营养素缺乏。联合缺乏（铁和维生素B12缺乏或铁和叶酸缺乏）是最常见的微量营养素缺乏性贫血，频率为33.3%（6/18），其次是孤立的铁和叶酸缺乏，频率均为27.8%（5/18），维生素B12缺乏频率为11.1%（2/18）。
老年住院人群贫血患病率高，值得公共卫生关注，且大多为中度和重度形式。微量营养素缺乏性贫血在该年龄组很常见，主要是由于微量营养素联合缺乏。
