Background: Anemia is a major health challenge to global development. Geriatric anemia is a public health crisis, wide spread in India, which increases morbidity and mortality among older people. An evaluation is always needed to identify the underlying cause. Objective: To study the prevalence of anemia in geriatric patients attending medical OPD of GIMS hospital, Gadag. Methodology: In this prospective study, geriatric patients attending the medical OPD at GIMS hospital were screened for anemia. Patients of age 60 years and above from January 2015 to April 2015 were included in the study. Blood was collected in EDTA tube and hemoglobin was estimated using automated blood cell counter. Results: A total of 450 geriatric patients were evaluated for anemia. Our study showed severe prevalence of anemia (61.8%) in geriatric patients attending GIMS hospital. Among total 450 patients, 12% (54 cases) were mildly anemic, 24.2% (109 cases) were moderately anemic and 25.6% (115 cases) were severely anemic. There is severe prevalence of anemia among geriatric patients attending GIMS hospital. It is important to evaluate anemia, since it is an entity that lies within our ability to diagnose and treat.

Keywords: Geriatric; Anemia; Prevalence.