Table 1.
Comparison of findings in two studies on geriatric anemia
| Parameters compared | Bhasin and Rao | Our study |
|---|---|---|
| Aetiology | 1. Nutritional deficiency (30%) | 1. Nutritional deficiency (32.6%) |
| 2. Renal failure (22%) | 2. Renal failure (19.49%) | |
| 3. Anemia due to chronic blood loss—31% (17 with microcytic and 14 with normocytic anemia) | 3. Miscellaneous causes like Infections, IHD etc. (17.32%) | |
| 4. Underlying malignancy (14%) | Malignancies excluded from study | |
| Blood picture/red cell indices | ||
| Microcytic | 30% | 25.84% |
| Normocytic (most common) | 62% | 66.01% |
| Macrocytic | 6% | 07.22% and Dimorphic 00.84% |
| Iron stores | Serum ferritin assay: 36% with <20 ng/ml and 53% with ferritin between 20 and 100 ng/ml |
Bone marrow iron assessed: 29.8% Cases showing depleted iron |