Does Serum lipid profile differ in anemia and non-anemic older subjects?

BACKGROUND: There is some evidence that shows the symptoms of anemia are fewere in overweight and obese people, so, the purpose of this research was to study the relationship between anemia and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) with lipid profile status of the elderly. METHODS: This cross-sectional study came from the Amirkola Health and Ageing Project (AHAP). A demographic questionnaire was given to the older people and a blood sample was obtained to assay their lipid indexes (triglyceride, cholesterol, HDL and LDL) and the parameters related to anemia after 12 hours fasting. The data were analyzed by chi-square test, t-test and Pearson correlation using SPSS. A p<0.05 was considered as the significance level of the tests. RESULTS: The average age of the people was 68.95±7.43 years old. In this study, the prevalence of anemia and IDA was 31% and 9%, respectively. The mean concentration of serum triglyceride, cholesterol and LDL in the anemia group and the IDA group was less than the control groups. The amount of HDL in different groups was almost the same, although the difference was statistically significant with respect to variables like age and obesity (P=0.001). CONCLUSION: The study showed that the amount of lipid profile (triglyceride and cholesterol) in the elderly with anemia and IDA was less compared to other people. This result was achieved in some other research studies too, but further research is suggested to find possible mechanisms.