Anemia in Seniors Could Have a Deceptively Simple Cause (If You Know to Look for It)

Consideration of possible causes of anemia in senior citizens would likely include significant illness such as chronic kidney disease, cancer, and ulcerative colitis along with much more benign concerns like vitamin B12 deficiency. Findings just reported online by the Journal of the American Medical Association suggest the explanation could be even simpler sometimes. Secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial (Aspirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly, or ASPREE) including 19,114 subjects 65 years of age and older revealed that taking a 100 mg dose of aspirin daily was associated with a 20% higher risk for anemia compared with placebo. Given that seniors concerned for cardiovascular disease or daily joint pain and inflammation may take at least that much aspirin on a daily basis, it could be prudent for urgent care providers to ask patients presenting with symptoms of anemia whether they take aspiring every day—and if so, how much.