Geriatric Anemia in A Tertiary Care Centre: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Older adults often suffer from anemia, and yet it remains an underestimated health issue that is linked to considerable morbidity, function impairment, diminished quality of life and death. Anemia's burden among the geriatric population continues to be significant, especially in developing countries where the prevalence of chronic diseases and nutrition deficiency is high. There was an objective of the present study to find out the prevalence, severity and morphological pattern of anemia among geriatric patients visiting tertiary care centre. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional observational study was conducted in a tertiary care teaching hospital from January 2025 to June 2025. A total of 302 geriatric patients aged ≥60 years attending outpatient and inpatient departments were included. Detailed demographic and clinical data were collected after obtaining informed consent. Complete blood count and peripheral smear examination were performed for all participants. Anemia was defined and graded according to World Health Organization criteria and morphologically classified into normocytic, microcytic, and macrocytic types. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and expressed as frequencies and percentages. Results: Among the 302 participants, 226 were found to be anemic, yielding an overall prevalence of 74.83%. The majority of participants belonged to the 60–69-year age group (40.40%), and females constituted 55.63% of the study population. Moderate anemia was the most common severity category, accounting for 46.90% of cases, followed by mild anemia (37.17%) and severe anemia (15.93%). Normocytic anemia was the predominant morphological type (49.55%), followed by microcytic (40.70%) and macrocytic anemia (9.73%). Female patients accounted for 75.66% of anemia cases. Hypertension (42.92%), diabetes mellitus (35.84%), and chronic kidney disease (30.08%) were the most common associated comorbidities. Conclusion: Anemia is highly prevalent among geriatric patients attending a tertiary care centre. Moderate anemia and normocytic anemia were the most frequently observed patterns. Early screening and comprehensive evaluation of anemia, particularly in elderly patients with chronic comorbidities, may facilitate timely intervention and improve clinical outcomes.

Keywords: Anemia; Geriatric population; Normocytic anemia; Prevalence; Comorbidities.