Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Aug;12(8):1663-1668.
doi: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_2443_22. Epub 2023 Aug 29.

Inflammatory markers in geriatric anemia: A study from North India

Malvika Shastri  1 , Mrinalini Kotru  1 , Alpana Raizada  2 , Bhawna Mahajan  3 , Rajat Jain  1 , Meera Sikka  1
Affiliations

Inflammatory markers in geriatric anemia: A study from North India

Malvika Shastri et al. J Family Med Prim Care. 2023 Aug.

Abstract

Background: Inflammation has several effects in the geriatrics with reference to iron deficiency anemia (IDA), anemia of chronic disease (ACD), and unexplained anemia (UA). Whether hyperinflammation is part of their pathogenesis or just incidental is unknown. Data are limited regarding inflammatory patterns in IDA, ACD, and UA in anemic geriatrics and inflammation as a component of UA. There is little known about the overlap of inflammation between ACD and UA.

Objective: The study was undertaken to find the proportion of anemic geriatric patients, aged ≥60 years with raised serum levels of inflammatory markers and their study within IDA, ACD, and UA.

Materials and methods: Seventy-five anemic geriatric patients were evaluated for raised serum levels of inflammatory markers: high sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-8 (IL-8) along with serum ferritin (SF).

Results: Raised markers were seen in 94.7% of anemic geriatric patients.IL-8 was raised most frequently followed by TNF-α, IL-6, hsCRP, and SF. No distinct inflammatory profile could be elicited between ACD and UA. The hyperinflammatory profile irrespective of the underlying etiology of geriatric anemia suggests that aging per se is pro-inflammatory state.

Conclusion: Geriatric anemia can be thought to develop on background of subclinical low-grade inflammation along with superimposed nutritional deficiencies or chronic diseases.

Keywords: Geriatric anemia; IL-6; IL-8; TNF-α; hsCRP; inflammatory markers.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Levels of inflammatory markers in anemic geriatric patients with comorbidities (N = 40)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

  • Erythropoietin levels in geriatric anemia.
    Fathima OV, Shastri M, Kotru M, Jain R, Goel A, Sikka M. Fathima OV, et al. J Family Med Prim Care. 2024 Oct;13(10):4347-4353. doi: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_29_24. Epub 2024 Oct 18. J Family Med Prim Care. 2024. PMID: 39629367 Free PMC article.

References

    1. Guralnik JM, Eisenstaedt RS, Ferrucci L, Klein HG, Woodman RC. Prevalence of anemia in persons 65 years and older in the United States: Evidence for a high rate of unexplained anemia. Blood. 2004;104:2263–8. - PubMed
    1. Freund AM, Smith J. Self-definition in old age. Zeitschrift fur Sozialpsychologie. 1997;28:44–59.
    1. Alwar V, Reethi K, Rameshkumar K. Geriatric anemia: An Indian perspective. Indian J Hematol Blood Transfus. 2013;29:126–7. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Thein M, Ershler WB, Artz AS, Tecson J, Robinson BE, Rothstein G, et al. Diminished quality of life and physical function in community-dwelling elderly with anemia. Medicine (Baltimore) 2009;88:107–14. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bross MH, Soch K, Smith-Knuppel T. Anemia in older persons. Am Fam Physician. 2010;82:480–7. - PubMed