Abstract
The elderly population is growing rapidly, and the prevalence of anemia is approximately 11 % in the elderly. Observational data demonstrates poor outcome in patients with even mild anemia, but this may reflect the patients’ underlying disease rather than the anemia itself. Clinical trials evaluating transfusion thresholds in the elderly suggest that a restrictive transfusion approach is safe in most clinical settings. Transfusion guidelines do not recommend specific transfusion thresholds in the elderly but rather focus on the hemoglobin level in relation to patients’ comorbidities; thus, transfusion decisions may be affected by the higher prevalence of underlying medical problems in the elderly but not by age itself.