Predicting Iron Deficiency in Hospitalized Elderly Adults with Inflammation Using Blood Test Analysis

What this Trial Is About

Anemia is common and has multiple causes in elderly adults, especially during hospitalization when inflammation often alters iron metabolism, complicating the assessment of true iron status. This research aims to develop a predictive model that estimates iron deficiency in the absence of inflammation using transferrin saturation TSAT measured during inflammatory episodes. The study includes a pilot phase with up to 200 patients at one center and a main phase enrolling 1,523 patients across multiple centers, focusing on adults over 75 years hospitalized with acute inflammation. Participants will continue to receive standard medical care while additional research-specific laboratory tests are performed on blood samples collected during routine care. These tests occur at four key time points the day after admission, when C-reactive protein CRP drops below 20 mgL pilot phase only, when CRP is under 10 mgL, and five days after CRP is below 10 mgL. The analyses include blood measures such as reticulocyte count, hemoglobin content, serum iron, transferrin saturation, ferritin, and liver enzymes. Participants will be involved through blood tests obtained from routine clinical samples without extra blood draws. The study measures the proportion of patients with iron deficiency defined by TSAT under non-inflammatory conditions and develops a model predicting this status from measurements taken during inflammation. This approach aims to improve patient management by distinguishing iron deficiency from inflammation-related anemia, potentially shortening hospital stays and optimizing iron therapy in elderly hospitalized patients.

Iron Status Assessment in Geriatric Elderly