A narrative review of anaemia in the elderly in a primary care setting

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Anaemia in the elderly is a common finding. Its causes are multiple and its management will depend on the underlying cause.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this article is to review the latest literature on anaemia in the elderly with a specific focus on the primary care setting.

METHOD: A search for review articles using the MeSH words “Elderly” OR “Older People” OR “Older Persons” or “Age 65+” AND “anaemia” OR “anemia” AND “primary care” was carried out on Medline EBSCO for articles in English published between 2012 and 2022. The PRISMA guideline was followed in the selection of articles to ensure research rigour. The initial search yielded 931 articles which were finally reduced to 17 articles.

RESULTS: The topics discussed in the selected articles were varied. The vast majority gave a broad overview of anaemia. Others focused on specific aspects of anaemia like treatment, iron deficiency anaemia, autoimmune hemolytic anaemia, chronic kidney disease, the role of nutrition and the inflammatory pathways leading to anaemia.

DISCUSSION: The authors focused on themes that came out of the selected papers, namely: symptoms and significance, causes, approach to investigations and therapeutic options.

CONCLUSION: Anaemia is a common finding in the elderly population and it should not be considered as a normal aging process. Proper investigation can frequently elucidate the cause and provide adequate treatment.