ASSOCIATION OF ANEMIA WITH COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS AND DEPRESSION IN ELDERLY

Justina Karpavičiūtė1, Edyta Pojawis1, Odeta Kučikienė2

1 – Faculty of Medicine, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania

2 –Department of Geriatrics, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Hemoglobin concentrations below the lower limit of normal is common in elderly. It has been associated with significant health indicators including the quality of life, hospitalization, infections, multimorbidity and mortality.

Aim: To identify the prevalence of anemija and  investigate the association of anemia with cognitive functions and depression in people aged 65 and over.

Methods: The retrospective study included case histories of 96 patients ofthe department of geriatrics. Data of demographics, blood test results, Mini – Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS – 15) scores were analyzed. P value <0,05 was considered statistically significant. SPSS 19.0 and Microsoft Excel 2013 were used for statistical analysis.

Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that Hb concentrations positively correlated with cognitive functions, as evaluated using MMSE,  but did not correlate with depression, as evaluated using GDS – 15.  We conclude that anaemia may impair cognitive functions and some daily living activities in the elderly.