Researchers from the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar) and University College London showed that the combination of anemia and muscle weakness in the elderly increases the risk of death by 64% for men and 117% for women. For the study, the scientists analyzed data from 5,310 English people aged 50 and over who were followed for 10 years.
“For women, the risk of dying doubles when the two conditions are combined. This is a very significant increase and therefore these factors must be monitored clinically. When patients go to the doctor, the cause of any anemia must be identified. It is also important to find out the reason for any muscle weakness and prescribe resistance exercises,” said Mariane Marques Luiz, a doctoral student in physical therapy at UFSCar and first author of the article on the study.
According to the researcher, the risk of death in participants with anemia or muscle weakness is independent of factors such as age, marital status, smoking, physical activity level, memory performance, heart disease, lung disease or cancer. “We looked at all causes of death and the results showed that a combination of anemia and dynapenia increases the risk of all-cause mortality. Having anemia and dynapenia is a significant risk for the elderly, regardless of these issues,” she said.
Anemia as a risk factor for reduced muscle strength
Anemia is a risk factor for reduced muscle strength because oxygen is captured by iron in red blood cells, and less oxygen reaches body tissues in a person with anemia. Therefore, because of impaired oxygenation, the muscles are weakened.
Scientists call poor oxygenation hypoxia. “Hypoxia can cause a series of changes in the body, such as peripheral arterial vasodilation and reduced capillary formation. It can also trigger myocardial dysfunction and inappropriately activate the hormonal system (renin-angiotensin-aldosterone) that controls blood pressure, among other things,” said Tiago da Silva Alexandre, professor of gerontology at UFSCar and corresponding author of the article.
Higher risk for women
The risk of death from the combination of anemia and muscle weakness (also called dynapenia) was observed with a higher incidence in women. Researcher Tiago da Silva draws attention to the fact that anemia is more prevalent in women, who are also more likely to suffer the impact on skeletal muscles.
“This difference could be because men generally have more muscle mass than women, so when men have anemia, the musculoskeletal system is less affected. This is just one possible explanation. However, as women generally have less muscle mass, your strength can decrease over time and that affects mortality. Dynapenia is a sign that something is wrong with an elderly person’s health,” he said.
The research was published in the journal Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics and can be accessed in full at this link.