Association of Anemia with All-Cause Mortality in Chinese Centenarians: a Prospective Cohort Study

ObjectivesThis study aimed to examine the relationship between anemia and all-cause mortality in Chinese centenarians.DesignProspective cohort study.Setting and participantsWe included 1002 Chinese centenarians from the China Hainan Centenarian Cohort Study (CHCCS)MeasurementsStandard procedures were followed to perform blood analysis, home interviews, and physical examinations. Anemia was defined as a hemoglobin level of less than 130 g/L for men and less than 120 g/L for women.ResultsDuring the 9-year follow-up period, a total of 929 (92.7%) deaths were identified. Cox proportional hazards regression models revealed that anemia (hazard ratio [HR] 1.289, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.117–1.489) was significantly associated with all-cause mortality. There was an apparent dose-response relationship between anemia and all-cause mortality. Centenarians with severe anemia had approximately 1.6 times higher likelihood of all-cause mortality than those without anemia (HR 1.662; 95% CI: 1.154–2.394).ConclusionAnemia is associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality in Chinese centenarians. Further research will be needed to collect more comprehensive data on the etiology of anemia and causes of death in centenarians.