Frailty and Anemia in Geriatric Care: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Frailty is a prevalent geriatric syndrome that markedly diminishes the functional capacity and overall quality of life of older adults. Anemia, a common comorbidity in geriatric populations, has been associated with adverse health outcomes. Both frailty and anemia are highly prevalent among geriatric inpatients.

This study aims to explore the relationship between frailty and anemia among older hospitalized patients, thereby contributing to the development of evidence-based strategies for identifying and managing the care of these vulnerable patients.

We conducted a retrospective cohort study involving patients 65 years of age and older admitted to our hospital's geriatric department between October 2022 and August 2024. Demographic and clinical data were collected for these patients, who were stratified by frailty status. We compared these data and investigated factors associated with frailty within this cohort.

The study cohort comprised 160 geriatric inpatients, with 109 (68.1%) classified as frail. Anemia was identified in 65 (40.6%) of the inpatients. The incidence of anemia was significantly higher among frail than among nonfrail geriatric inpatients (P = 0.003). Anemia was also significantly correlated with frailty incidence (P < 0.001) and with total scores on the Tilburg Frailty Indicator (TFI) (P < 0.001), as well as with TFI scores pertaining to the physical (P < 0.001) and psychological (P = 0.01) dimensions of frailty. Logistic regression identified age (P = 0.001), anemia (P = 0.047), and lack of regular exercise (P = 0.001) as significant risk factors for frailty in this population.

Our study revealed a correlation between anemia and frailty among geriatric inpatients, highlighting the critical need to incorporate vigilant monitoring and management of anemia into the nursing care regimen for these patients.