Patterns of Anemia and Its Clinical Correlates among Patients Attending an Internal Medicine Service

Open Access

Abstract

Background: Anemia is a common hematological disorder among patients receiving internal medicine care and may reflect nutritional deficiency, chronic disease, blood loss, or impaired erythropoiesis. Its morphological patterns and clinical correlates are important for appropriate diagnostic evaluation and management. Aim of the study: To assess the patterns of anemia and their clinical correlates among patients attending an internal medicine service. Methods & Materials: This hospital-based cross-sectional observational study included 300 adults attending the Internal Medicine Service of a tertiary-level hospital in Bangladesh. Sociodemographic, clinical, and hematological data were collected through structured questionnaires, clinical records, and laboratory reports. Anemia was classified according to severity and morphological pattern using predefined criteria. Associations were assessed using chi-square/Fisher's exact tests and independent-samples t-test, with p<0.05 considered statistically significant. Result: Anemia was present in 59.67% of participants, with moderate anemia being the most common severity category (27.33%). Microcytic hypochromic anemia was the predominant morphological pattern (42.46%), followed by normocytic normochromic anemia (37.43%). Anemia was significantly associated with older age (p<0.001), female sex (p=0.014), and rural residence (p=0.034), whereas smoking showed no significant association (p=0.063). Significant clinical associations were observed with chronic kidney disease, gastrointestinal bleeding, diabetes mellitus, chronic liver disease, and heart failure. Anemic participants had significantly lower hemoglobin, RBC count, and MCV, higher RDW, and longer hospital stay than non-anemic participants (all p<0.001). Conclusion: Anemia was highly prevalent among internal medicine patients, with moderate and microcytic hypochromic patterns predominating. Routine hematological assessment with targeted evaluation of nutritional deficiency, blood loss, renal dysfunction, and chronic disease may facilitate timely diagnosis and appropriate management.