Published: Apr. 18, 2007 Updated: Apr. 22, 2010 Even mild anemia
can greatly affect the quality of your life, but help is
available. An estimated 13 percent of people 70 and older are
anemic, defined as having a hemoglobin concentration below
12g/dL in women and below 13g/dL in men. Hemoglobin, a protein
in red blood cells, gives blood its color. In many older people,
anemia is caused by diseases such as cancer, kidney disease, and
congestive heart failure. But up to 35 percent of cases can’t be
directly linked to an illness. What is known is that anemia
takes a huge toll on quality of life. The Women’s Health and
Aging Study recently uncovered preliminary evidence that mild
anemia might be a risk factor for what is known as “executive
function impairment” in women ages 70 through 80. Executive
function involves the ability to solve problems, plan, and
follow through on important activities. The results, published
in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, found that
anemic women were four to five tim