The impact of treatment for iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia on nutritional status, physical performance, and cognitive function in geriatric patients

Hande Selvi Öztorun; Esat Çınar; Tuğba Turgut; Deniz Mut Sürmeli; Remzi Bahşi; Volkan Atmış; Murat Varlı; Sevgi Aras

doi:10.1007/s41999-018-0065-z

The impact of treatment for iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia on nutritional status, physical performance, and cognitive function in geriatric patients

Eur Geriatr Med. 2018 Aug;9(4):493-500. doi: 10.1007/s41999-018-0065-z. Epub 2018 May 9.

Authors

Hande Selvi Öztorun¹, Esat Çınar², Tuğba Turgut², Deniz Mut Sürmeli², Remzi Bahşi², Volkan Atmış², Murat Varlı², Sevgi Aras²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Geriatric Medicine, İbn-i Sina Hospital, Ankara University School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey. drhandeslv@hotmail.com.
² Department of Geriatric Medicine, İbn-i Sina Hospital, Ankara University School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.

PMID: 34674483
DOI: 10.1007/s41999-018-0065-z

Abstract

Objective: Iron deficiency in older people is common and affects physical and cognitive performance. The effects of iron deficiency on nutrition and cognitive status are well established. However, there are few studies demonstrating the impact of iron deficiency treatment on functional and cognitive outcomes in the geriatric population. The aim of this study was to determine whether iron replacement treatment was associated with an improvement in the nutritional, cognitive, and functional status of older patients with iron deficiency (ID) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA).

Methods: Geriatric patients with iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia presenting to the geriatric clinic were included in the study. Comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) and blood samples to investigate iron deficiency were performed at baseline and 6 month later. 81 patients were included in the study and were evaluated at follow-up in the 6th month. The CGA included the following tests: the Katz Index of Independence in Activities of Daily Living Scale (Katz ADL), the Lawton-Brody Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale (IADL), the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and the Mini Nutritional Assessment Short-Form (MNA-SF), as well as the assessments of hand grip strength and walking speed.

Results: Of the 81 participating patients, 69.1% were women and 30.9% were men. The mean age was 76.8 ± 7.28 years. Follow-up after iron supplementation treatment was performed with a mean of 6.23 ± 1.58 months. Improvements occurred in the following geriatric and laboratory assessments: Lawton-Brody (IADL), MNA-SF, MMSE, hand grip strength, and walking speed evaluations and the levels of hemoglobin, iron, total iron-binding capacity, transferrin saturation, and ferritin.

Conclusions: It was shown that iron replacement treatment has a positive impact on functional and cognitive status and nutritional parameters in older patients with ID and IDA.

Keywords: Cognitive function; Functionality; Iron deficiency treatment; Muscle strength; Nutrition; Older.