Perfil epidemiológico e frequência de anemia em mulheres idosas de uma instituição de longa permanência em Fortaleza/CE

Abstract

The elderly population is growing gradually in recent years, a fact due to the increase in life expectancy. With increasing aged population, so does the search for shelters, called long-stay institutions (ILP). The growing number of elderly in the population and in the world brings with it a number of physiologic al changes, in addition to diseases and chronic diseases, such a disease is anemia. Anemia is considered a public health problem world wide and is the most prevalent hematologic disorder that affects the elderly. The objective soft his study were to determine the epidemiology of elderly residents in a long term care facility in Fortaleza/CE, in 2014; determine thefrequencyof anemia in a groupofelderlywomen living in a long term care facility in Fortaleza / CE; evaluate the age and the presence of preexisting disease, anemia in the elderly; assess the CBC, the type and degree of anemia in anemicelderly. A descriptive and retrospective study with a quantitative approach was carried out to reach an epidemiological and hematological profile of older an ILP. Data from elderly, contained in records, from January to December 2014, were evaluated and analyzed statistically, using the Microsoft Excel program 2010. The results showed that, of the 30 studied elderly, regarding the epidemiological profile, 36% of were older than 81 years, 43.33% were single, 73.33% were literate, 70% were from the interior of Ceará, 93% had financial income from retirement, 36.33% were less than 5 years living in the institution and 90% did not smoken or drank. Regarding anemia, there was a frequency of 30%, the most predominant morphological type normocytic and normochromic and mild. The age group most affect edby anemia was above 80 years and the most common pre-existing disease was diabetes. The anemic elderly, the RDW and of leukocytes and platelets counts were at their most normal. It is important that anemia in older people receive adequate attention, because it decreases the functional capacity and consequently increases morbidity.