Anemia in elderly rheumatoid arthritis patients: a cohort study

Introduction: Anemia is common in elderly patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This study aimed to evaluate the current status and influencing factors of anemia in RA patients, to provide insights for clinical RA treatment and care. Material and methods: This study included elderly patients with high RA activity treated in our hospital from June 1, 2021 to December 31, 2022 for analysis. The characteristics of RA patients were analyzed. Pearson correlation and logistic regression analysis were conducted to analyze the influencing factors of anemia in elderly patients with RA. Results: A total of 285 RA patients were included. The incidence of anemia in high RA activity patients was 62.46%. There were significant differences in the course of RA, hemoglobin (Hb), low -density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), platelet/lymphocyte rate (PLR) and albumin (Alb) between RA patients with anemia and without anemia (all p < 0.05). Pearson correlation analysis indicated that course of RA ( r = 0.522), Hb ( r = 0.797), LDL-C ( r = 0.558), PLR ( r = 0.615) and Alb ( r = 0.604) were correlated with anemia in patients with high RA activity (all p < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis indicated that course of RA >= 8 years (OR = 2.584, 95% CI: 1.822-3.647), LDL-C <= 2.8 mmol/l (OR = 3.202, 95% CI: 2.804-3.431), PLR >= 8 (OR = 2.183, 95% CI: 1.744-2.457), Alb <= 35 g/l (OR = 1.716, 95% CI: 1.401-2.006) were the risk factors of anemia in elderly patients with high RA activity (all p < 0.05). Conclusions: Anemia in elderly patients with high RA activity is closely related to the course of RA, LDL-C, PLR and Alb. Close attention should be paid to the monitoring of those indicators to take early intervention measures to improve the prognosis of RA patients.