Table 4.
Characteristics and outcome 12 months after acute hospitalization in patients with explained and unexplained anemia
| No anemia | Unexplained anemia | Explained anemia | Unexplained vs explained anemia | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N=474 | N=154 | N=256 | p-value | |
| Demographics | ||||
| Age | 84 (6.0) | 84 (6.2) | 85 (6.2) | 0.08 |
| Male sex | 119 (25 %) | 51 (38 %)** | 114 (42 %)** | 0.48 |
| Receive home care | 196 (41 %) | 43 (32 %) | 114 (42 %) | 0.07 |
| Admitted after a fall | 177 (38 %) | 73 (55 %)** | 103 (38 %) | 0.002 |
| Diagnosis | ||||
| Hip fracture | 15 (3 %) | 30 (12 %)** | 21 (8 %)* | 0.001 |
| Other acute trauma | 144 (30 %) | 51 (33 %) | 63 (25 %) | 0.06 |
| infection | 116 (24 %) | 36 (23 %) | 66 (26 %) | 0.63 |
| heart disease | 68 (14 %) | 16 (10 %) | 49 (19 %) | 0.02 |
| other medical | 131 (28 %) | 21 (14 %)** | 57 (22 %) | 0.03 |
| Geriatric assessment | ||||
| More than 5 diagnosis | 266 (56 %) | 76 (60 %) | 186 (71 %)** | 0.02 |
| Use > 5 drugs | 361 (77 %) | 100 (75 %) | 244 (90 %)** | <0.001 |
| Barthel index | 80 (60–90) | 70 (60–85)** | 75 (60–85)* | 0.37 |
| MMSE | 26 (23–28) | 26 (23–28) | 26 (23–28) | 0.78 |
| GDS | 7 (4–12) | 7 (3–11) | 6 (4–11) | 0.88 |
| MNA-SF | 10 (8–12) | 10 (7–11) | 10 (8–11) | 0.42 |
| Laboratory investigations | ||||
| Hb g/dl | 13.6 (1.1) | 11.0 (1.0)** | 11.0 (0.9)** | 0.22 |
| Severe anemia (Hb < 10.6 g/L)a | 0 | 38 (28 %)** | 92 (36 %)** | 0.29 |
| MCV fL | 94 (5.5) | 95 (5.2) | 93 (6.1) | 0.001 |
| Ferritin | 179 (101–333) | 204 (138–399)** | 171 (93–336) | 0.007 |
| Transferrin Receptor (TfR) | 3.3 (2.7–4.2) | 3.0 (2.4–3.4)** | 4.1 (3.0–5.5)** | <0.001 |
| CRP mg/L | 13 (5–30) | 31 (10–63)** | 27 (12–53)** | 0.60 |
| Pro-BnP > 225 pmol/L | 90 (20 %) | 21 (16 %) | 110 (42 %)** | <0.001 |
| Renal insufficiencyb | 157 (34 %) | 0** | 205 (75 %)** | <0.001 |
| Iron deficiencyc | 91 (21 %) | 0** | 110 (43 %)** | <0.001 |
| 12 months follow up | ||||
| >2 hospital admissions | 114 (31 %) | 29 (27 %) | 86 (39 %)* | 0.03 |
| Dead | 74 (16 %) | 21 (14 %) | 55 (22 %)* | 0.05 |
GDS Geriatric Depression scale 1–30, MMS Mini Mental Status Examination, MNA-SF Mini Nutritional Assessment- Short Form, CRP C-reactive protein, NT pro- BnP N-Terminal pro brain-type natriuretic peptide
aSevere anemia defined as Hb concentration in the lower anemia tertile
bRenal insufficiency was defined as e-GFR (described in methods) < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2
cIron deficiency defined as anemi + ferritin < 35ug/l or TfR > 4.5 mg/L
Continous parameters are presented as mean (standard deviation), and median (interquartile range), Categorical data are presented as numbers (percentages)
*p < 0.05, **p < 0.01 when the group of patients with unexplained and explained anemias each were compared with patients without anemia