Iron deficiency heightens hospitalization rate in older adults

In generally healthy community-dwelling older adults, iron deficiency (ID) tends to increase the rate of hospitalization but does not usually lead to ≥5 days length of stay (LOS), reports a study.

A group of researchers conducted a secondary observational analysis of a randomized controlled trial to explore the interaction between baseline ID and the number of hospitalizations and between baseline ID and at least one LOS ≥5 days in 2,157 community-dwelling adults aged ≥70 years without major diseases at baseline.

ID at baseline (soluble transferrin receptor [sTfR] concentrations >28.1 nmol/L) was the main exposure. The number of hospitalizations over a 3-year follow-up was the primary outcome, while having at least one LOS ≥5 days over the study period among individuals with one or more hospitalizations was assessed as a secondary outcome.

Finally, the researchers examined the association between ID and anaemia (haemoglobin <130 g/L for men and <120 g/L for women).

A total of 2,141 participants (median age 74.0 years) had their baseline sTfR concentration determined for this study. Some 1,497 hospitalizations had been identified at 3 years, with an incidence rate of 0.26 per person-year (95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.24‒0.28).

Over 3 years, baseline ID contributed to a 24-percent higher incidence rate of hospitalization (incidence rate ratio, 1.24, 95 percent CI, 1.05‒1.45). Such interaction was independent of anaemia status at baseline due to the nonsignificant association between ID and anaemia at baseline.

Likewise, ID did not significantly correlate with having an LOS ≥5 days (odds ratio, 1.40, 95 percent CI, 1.00‒1.97) among participants with at least one hospitalization over 3 years.

“Efforts to minimize ID in older adults may improve overall health and optimize healthcare costs,” the researchers said.