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Table 4 Characteristics and outcome 12 months after acute hospitalization in patients with explained and unexplained anemia

From: Readmission and mortality one year after acute hospitalization in older patients with explained and unexplained anemia - a prospective observational cohort study

 

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

  1. 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
  2. aSevere anemia defined as Hb concentration in the lower anemia tertile
  3. bRenal insufficiency was defined as e-GFR (described in methods) < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2
  4. cIron deficiency defined as anemi + ferritin < 35ug/l or TfR > 4.5 mg/L
  5. Continous parameters are presented as mean (standard deviation), and median (interquartile range), Categorical data are presented as numbers (percentages)
  6. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01 when the group of patients with unexplained and explained anemias each were compared with patients without anemia