Prevalence of anemia in the nursing home: Contribution of chronic kidney disease

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To assess the independent contribution of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and age to anemia in older nursing home residents. DESIGN: Retrospective. SETTING: Skilled nursing facility. PARTICIPANTS: Nursing home residents with records in the Beverly Healthcare Data Warehouse who were admitted to a nursing home between January 1, 2002, and December 31, 2003; were alive as of January 31, 2004; and had hemoglobin and serum creatinine (SCr) values available for analysis. MEASUREMENTS: Prevalence of anemia (hemoglobin <13 g/dL for men and <12 g/dL for women) and CKD (estimated glomerular filtration rate <60 mL/min per 1.73 m2, according to Modification of Diet in Renal Disease criteria) and the contribution of CKD and age to the prevalence of anemia. RESULTS: Six thousand two hundred resident records were analyzed (70% female, 85% Caucasian). Overall, 59.6% of residents were anemic, and 43.1% had CKD, and residents with CKD were more likely to have anemia (64.9% with vs 55.7% without CKD; odds ratio (OR)=1.47, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.33-1.63). Although older age was associated with lower hemoglobin values primarily in residents without CKD (Spearman rank correlation coefficient (r)=-0.10, P