Association between hemoglobin level and health status in elderly people living in communities in Beijing

Objective To investigate the correlation between hemoglobin level and health status of the elderly living in communities in Beijing. Methods A random cluster sampling method was used to select residents living in communities of Beijing city, and a cross-sectional study was carried out by questionnaires, scene testing and blood sample collection.WHO-formulated criteria were applied for diagnosing anemia.The health indicators in questionnaires included visual impairment, physical disability, decreased health, self-care, fatigue, anorexia, independent walking distance, exercise frequency, intelligence status and computing power. Results Complete information was obtained in a total of 1 948 elderly people, including 790 cases of male and 1 158 cases of female, with an average age of(73.9±6.1)years and a median age of 74 years(65-100). The mean level of hemoglobin in the 1 948 people was(135.65±14.48)g/L, with(142.56±15.56)g/L in male and(130.95±11.53)g/L in female.Hemoglobin level was significantly lower in female than in men(t=54.739, P<0.01). Hemoglobin level was decreased with aging, and negatively associated with appetite, physical strength, walk assistance, visual acuity and physical ability(r=-0.055, -0.067, -0.071, -0.114, -0.095; P=0.022, 0.005, 0.004, 0.000, 0.000), while positively associated with health status, activities in daily life, athletic ability, exercise frequency and intelligence(r=0.073, 0.126, 0.122, 0.066, 0.124; P=0.002, 0.000, 0.000, 0.006, 0.000). Conclusions The hemoglobin level of the elderly decreases with aging and is associated with health status and quality of life in the elderly, which should be taken care seriously. Key words: Hemoglobins; Health status