Association between hemoglobin level and health status in elderly people living in communities in Beijing / 中华老年医学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the correlation between hemoglobin level and health status of the elderly living in communities in Beijing.Methods A random cluster sampling method was used to select residents living in communities of Beijing city,and a cross-sectional study was carried out by questionnaires,scene testing and blood sample collection.WHO-formulated criteria were applied for diagnosing anemia.The health indicators in questionnaires included visual impairment,physical disability,decreased health,self-care,fatigue,anorexia,independent walking distance,exercise frequency,intelligence status and computing power.Results Complete information was obtained in a total of 1 948 elderly people,including 790 cases of male and 1 158 cases of female,with an average age of(73.9±6.1)years and a median age of 74 years(65-100).The mean level of hemoglobin in the 1 948 people was(135.65 ± 14.48) g/L,with (142.56 ± 15.56) g/L in male and (130.95 ± 11.53) g/L in female.Hemoglobin level was significantly lower in female than in men (t =54.739,P＜ 0.01).Hemoglobin level was decreased with aging,and negatively associated with appetite,physical strength,walk assistance,visual acuity and physical ability(r=-0.055,-0.067,-0.071,-0.114,-0.095;P =0.022,0.005,0.004,0.000,0.000),while positively associated with health status,activities in daily life,athletic ability,exercise frequency and intelligence (r =0.073,0.126,0.122,0.066,0.124;P =0.002,0.000,0.000,0.006,0.000).Conclusions The hemoglobin level of the elderly decreases with aging and is associated with health status and quality of life in the elderly,which should be taken care seriously.