Anaemia in the hospitalised elderly.

A retrospective study was done to look at the various features of our elderly anaemic patients and to determine the usefulness of evaluating anaemia in this age group. Of the 151 patients admitted to one of the acute admission and rehabilitation wards of our Department from January 1990 to June 1990, 54 were anaemic. The prevalence of anaemia was significantly higher in the old old age group (> or = 75 years) compared to the young old, and those from an institutional background had a significantly higher prevalence of more severe anaemia (Hb < 8g/dl). The majority of causes (66%) could be easily established with a simple work-up and deficiency-related anaemias comprised 44% of the total causes. The clinical usefulness of this work-up may also extend to the mildly anaemic group (Hb > or = 10g/dl) though further studies are needed to determine the level of haemoglobin when the evaluation becomes cost-effective.