Anemia in the Geriatric Population of the Indian Subcontinent: Prevalence, Patterns, and Etiological Insights

The proportion of elderly individuals has undergone a remarkable shift-from roughly 1 in 14 during the 1950s to nearly 1 in 4 today.Around 60% of the elderly currently live in developing countries, and this figure is projected to increase to about 75% within the next 25 years.Worldwide estimates suggest that approximately 23.9% of the elderly population is anemic, with significant regional variation-around 24.6% in South-East Asia and 68.3% in India, far exceeding global estimates.The Indian subcontinent, comprising seven primary countries in South Asia, has many unique historical, political, socioeconomic, and cultural ties, and its nutritional landscape is a mix of traditional and modern dietary practices influenced by climate and history.Evidence from the region indicates that the etiology of anemia in older adults is heterogeneous, with chronic disease, nutritional deficiencies, renal impairment, blood loss, and marrow disorders representing the principal mechanisms.In the present systematic review, the authors have collected all available data and compiled them in a manner that provides readers with an overview of the real-world scenario and highlights the different etiologies related to anemia in the geriatric population in the subcontinent.