SHM Converge Scientific Abstract ePoster Gallery-Characterizing the Distribution of Underlying Etiologies in Hospitalized Anemia Patients

Pdf Summary

This study examined the causes of anemia in hospitalized adults to support development of a hospital-specific diagnostic algorithm. The authors note that anemia is common in inpatients, affecting an estimated 40–70%, but existing diagnostic approaches were largely designed for ambulatory patients and may not fit the hospital setting.<br /><br />In a prospective study, the researchers enrolled 945 hospitalized adults who had a hemoglobin level of 10 g/dL or lower at some point during admission. Using laboratory data from consenting patients, they categorized anemia into previously validated etiologic groups and used descriptive statistics and chi-square testing to compare patterns across categories.<br /><br />The most common cause of anemia was chronic disease, followed by undiagnosed anemia, acute blood loss anemia, anemia due to multiple causes, nutritional anemia, and sickle cell anemia. The study also found that patients with lower nadir hemoglobin levels were more likely to have their anemia cause identified. In addition, the likelihood of having an undiagnosed etiology varied by hemoglobin severity.<br /><br />Overall, the distribution of anemia causes in hospitalized patients appears to differ from that seen in outpatient settings, where iron deficiency and undiagnosed anemia are more common. The authors conclude that undiagnosed anemia remains a substantial problem among hospitalized patients and that this supports the need for a diagnostic algorithm tailored to the inpatient environment. They are currently investigating why some hospitalized patients remain undiagnosed and what factors contribute to missed diagnoses.

Asset Subtitle

Christian Carrier

Meta Tag

Author List Christian Carrier, David Meltzer, Micah T. Prochaska, Stephanie Cardenas

Category Research

Concept Anemia

Concept Etiology

Concept Hospitalized Patients

Concept Diagnostic Approach

Concept Undiagnosed Anemia

Distinguished Non-Finalist

Presenter Organization University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine

Presenting Author Christian Carrier

Track Outcomes Research

Keywords

anemia

hospitalized adults

inpatient diagnosis

chronic disease

undiagnosed anemia

acute blood loss

nutritional anemia

hemoglobin

diagnostic algorithm

prospective study

Anemia

Etiology

Hospitalized Patients

Diagnostic Approach

Undiagnosed Anemia