Is anemia still a problem in cART era: a single center study?

Results 544 patients (260 female, 284 men) with a median age of 45.9 years (18.9-80.8) were included. 513 patients were on ART (94.3%). Median CD4 was 546.5 (14-2707), viral load (VL) < 50 in 75.9% of patients. Anemia was present in 141 patients (25.9%): mild 18.9%, moderate 6.8%, severe 0.2%. No correlation with VL was seen: mean Hb for patients with CV>50 versus <50 was respectively 13.3 and 13.4. No correlation with CD4 was seen: mean CD4 for anemic and non-anemic patients was respectively 502 and 544 (NS). However, a correlation with age was seen with an incidence of anemia of 24.5% for patients under 60 y and 36.4% for patients ≥60 y (p<0.001). These impact on age was only seen in men with an incidence of anemia of 12.6% for age under 60 y vs 33.3% for age ≥60 y (p<0.001). For women, age has no impact on prevalence of anemia. Conclusion In the era of c-ART, incidence of anemia remains high especially in patients above 60 years. Given the growing age of HIV patients, physicians should be attentive to this problem in the oldest patients. Further prospective studies are needed to better characterize the mechanisms of anemia observed in this population.