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Abstract:

Anaemia is one of the more common medical problems in elderly patients and is associated with an increased morbidity and mortality. In this population non-hematological underlying causes for the anemia such as chronic inflammation and infection, cancer, gastrointestinal lesions and chronic renal failure are more frequent than the classic hematological causes such as leukemia and the myelodysplastic syndromes. The basic diagnostic evaluation for anemia should not be very complex, expensive or invasive: close attention to the complete blood count, serum ferritin, vitamin B12, folate levels, renal function tests and occult intestinal bleeding. The diagnostic criteria for 3 common causes of anemia (anemia of chronic disease, iron deficiency anemia and folate vitamin B12 deficiency anemia) in elderly patients are discussed.