Prevalence and leading causes of anemia and other cytopenias at study enrollment in subjects aged 80 years or older from the Health_&_Anemia and Monzino_80+ cohorts
| . | Health_&_Anemia study . | Monzino_80+ study . | P . |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. of subjects | 1059 | 735 | |
| Women (%) | 697 (65.8) | 546 (74.3) | <.001 |
| Men (%) | 362 (34.2) | 189 (25.7) | |
| Age (y), median (range) | 82.8 (80-105) | 90.5 (80.5-103.9) | <.001 |
| ≥80 to <85 y (%) | 725 (68.5) | 128 (17.4) | <.001 |
| ≥85 to <90 y (%) | 235 (22.2) | 215 (29.3) | |
| ≥90 to <95 y (%) | 71 (6.7) | 247 (33.6) | |
| ≥95 to <100 y (%) | 24 (2.3) | 105 (14.3) | |
| ≥100 y (%) | 4 (0.3) | 40 (5.4) | |
| Death (%) | 683/1059 (64.5) | 695/735 (94.5) | <.001 |
| Blood count at study enrollment | |||
| Hb (g/dL), median (range) | 13.6 (7.3-18) | 13.1 (6.7-16.8) | <.001 |
| HCT (%), median (range) | 42.4 (22.9-55.5) | 39.2 (22-50.6) | <.001 |
| MCV (fL), median (range) | 95.9 (61.9-123.3) | 92.2 (58.6-121.8) | <.001 |
| RDW (fL), median (range) | 14.4 (12.3-21.6) | 13.4 (11.3-22.2) | <.001 |
| WBCs (×109/L), median (range) | 6.4 (1.6-40.3) | 6.5 (2.3-78.9) | .664 |
| ANC (×109/L), median (range) | 3.8 (0.6-21.2) | 3.8 (1.2-15.2) | .059 |
| PLTs (×109/L), median (range) | 222 (52-1117) | 231 (25-915) | .044 |
| Anemia at study enrollment | |||
| All n (%) | 158/1059 (14.9) | 217/735 (29.5) | <.001 |
| Women (%) | 94/697 (13.5) | 142/546 (26) | <.001 |
| Men (%) | 64/362 (17.7) | 75/189 (39.7) | <.001 |
| Anemia by age (y) | |||
| ≥80 to <85 (%) | 81/725 (11.2) | 21/128 (16.4) | .142 |
| ≥85 to <90 (%) | 41/235 (17.4) | 49/215 (22.8) | .249 |
| ≥90 to <95 (%) | 25/71 (35.2) | 87/247 (35.2) | .930 |
| ≥95 to <100 (%) | 9/24 (37.5) | 40/105 (38.1) | .971 |
| ≥100 (%) | 2/4 (50) | 20/40 (50) | 1.000 |
| Severity of anemia | |||
| Mild (normal value to 10 g/dL) (%) | 141/158 (89.3) | 197/217 (90.7) | .910 |
| Moderate (9.9-8 g/dL) (%) | 16/158 (10.1) | 16/217 (7.3) | .389 |
| Severe (<8 g/dL) (%) | 1/158 (0.6) | 4/217 (2) | .320 |
| Causes of anemia | |||
| Iron deficiency (%) | 9/158 (5.7) | 14/217 (6.4) | .777 |
| β thalassemia (%) | 12/158 (7.6) | 5/217 (2.3) | .021 |
| B12/folate deficiency (%) | 18/158 (11.4) | 41/217 (18.8) | .091 |
| Renal (%) | 29/158 (18.4) | 49/217 (22.6) | .419 |
| Chronic disease (%) | 16/158 (10.1) | 16/217 (7.3) | .389 |
| Multifactorial (%) | 23/158 (14.6) | 18/217 (8.2) | .087 |
| Unexplained (%) | 41/158 (25.9) | 74/217 (34.1) | .216 |
| Neutropenia at study enrollment | |||
| All (%) | 10/1059 (1) | 26/735 (3.5) | <.001 |
| Unexplained (%) | 4/10 (40) | 11/26 (42.3) | .936 |
| Thrombocytopenia at study enrollment | |||
| All (%) | 51/1059 (4.8) | 56/735 (7.6) | 0.021 |
| Unexplained (%) | 9/51 (17.6) | 16/56 (28.5) | .294 |
| Unexplained cytopenia | 48/1059 (4.5) | 85/735 (11.5) | <.001 |
| . | Health_&_Anemia study . | Monzino_80+ study . | P . |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. of subjects | 1059 | 735 | |
| Women (%) | 697 (65.8) | 546 (74.3) | <.001 |
| Men (%) | 362 (34.2) | 189 (25.7) | |
| Age (y), median (range) | 82.8 (80-105) | 90.5 (80.5-103.9) | <.001 |
| ≥80 to <85 y (%) | 725 (68.5) | 128 (17.4) | <.001 |
| ≥85 to <90 y (%) | 235 (22.2) | 215 (29.3) | |
| ≥90 to <95 y (%) | 71 (6.7) | 247 (33.6) | |
| ≥95 to <100 y (%) | 24 (2.3) | 105 (14.3) | |
| ≥100 y (%) | 4 (0.3) | 40 (5.4) | |
| Death (%) | 683/1059 (64.5) | 695/735 (94.5) | <.001 |
| Blood count at study enrollment | |||
| Hb (g/dL), median (range) | 13.6 (7.3-18) | 13.1 (6.7-16.8) | <.001 |
| HCT (%), median (range) | 42.4 (22.9-55.5) | 39.2 (22-50.6) | <.001 |
| MCV (fL), median (range) | 95.9 (61.9-123.3) | 92.2 (58.6-121.8) | <.001 |
| RDW (fL), median (range) | 14.4 (12.3-21.6) | 13.4 (11.3-22.2) | <.001 |
| WBCs (×109/L), median (range) | 6.4 (1.6-40.3) | 6.5 (2.3-78.9) | .664 |
| ANC (×109/L), median (range) | 3.8 (0.6-21.2) | 3.8 (1.2-15.2) | .059 |
| PLTs (×109/L), median (range) | 222 (52-1117) | 231 (25-915) | .044 |
| Anemia at study enrollment | |||
| All n (%) | 158/1059 (14.9) | 217/735 (29.5) | <.001 |
| Women (%) | 94/697 (13.5) | 142/546 (26) | <.001 |
| Men (%) | 64/362 (17.7) | 75/189 (39.7) | <.001 |
| Anemia by age (y) | |||
| ≥80 to <85 (%) | 81/725 (11.2) | 21/128 (16.4) | .142 |
| ≥85 to <90 (%) | 41/235 (17.4) | 49/215 (22.8) | .249 |
| ≥90 to <95 (%) | 25/71 (35.2) | 87/247 (35.2) | .930 |
| ≥95 to <100 (%) | 9/24 (37.5) | 40/105 (38.1) | .971 |
| ≥100 (%) | 2/4 (50) | 20/40 (50) | 1.000 |
| Severity of anemia | |||
| Mild (normal value to 10 g/dL) (%) | 141/158 (89.3) | 197/217 (90.7) | .910 |
| Moderate (9.9-8 g/dL) (%) | 16/158 (10.1) | 16/217 (7.3) | .389 |
| Severe (<8 g/dL) (%) | 1/158 (0.6) | 4/217 (2) | .320 |
| Causes of anemia | |||
| Iron deficiency (%) | 9/158 (5.7) | 14/217 (6.4) | .777 |
| β thalassemia (%) | 12/158 (7.6) | 5/217 (2.3) | .021 |
| B12/folate deficiency (%) | 18/158 (11.4) | 41/217 (18.8) | .091 |
| Renal (%) | 29/158 (18.4) | 49/217 (22.6) | .419 |
| Chronic disease (%) | 16/158 (10.1) | 16/217 (7.3) | .389 |
| Multifactorial (%) | 23/158 (14.6) | 18/217 (8.2) | .087 |
| Unexplained (%) | 41/158 (25.9) | 74/217 (34.1) | .216 |
| Neutropenia at study enrollment | |||
| All (%) | 10/1059 (1) | 26/735 (3.5) | <.001 |
| Unexplained (%) | 4/10 (40) | 11/26 (42.3) | .936 |
| Thrombocytopenia at study enrollment | |||
| All (%) | 51/1059 (4.8) | 56/735 (7.6) | 0.021 |
| Unexplained (%) | 9/51 (17.6) | 16/56 (28.5) | .294 |
| Unexplained cytopenia | 48/1059 (4.5) | 85/735 (11.5) | <.001 |
The classification of anemia and other cytopenias (based on the hematologic findings) was supported by the clinical conditions and pharmacological therapies of older patients (criteria are defined in supplemental File 1). Anemias and other cytopenias that could not be classified into any of the previously defined categories were considered to be of unexplained origin. A panel 3 physicians reviewed, discussed, and reached a final consensus for each case of cytopenia with discrepant classification.
ANC, absolute neutrophil count; Hb, hemoglobin; HCT, hematocrit; MCV, mean corpuscular volume; PLTs, platelets; RDW, red cell distribution width; WBCs, white blood cells.