Low hemoglobin levels are associated with compromised muscle health: Insights from a post-stroke rehabilitation cohort

How long will it take for your competent? doctor to have a testing protocol for this and an intervention protocol to bring hemoglobin up to the proper level? Anything longer that one week is PURE INCOMPETENCE!  

You need muscle health because you don't want to get to sarcopenia.

noun: sarcopenia

1. loss of muscle tissue as a natural(In stroke it is not natural) part of the aging process.

Low hemoglobin levels are associated with compromised muscle health: Insights from a post-stroke rehabilitation cohort

Yoshimura Y ¹ ,

Nagano F ¹ ,

Matsumoto A ¹ ,

Shimazu S ¹ ,

Shiraishi A ¹ ,

Kido Y ¹ ,

Bise T ¹ ,

Kuzuhara A ¹ ,

Hori K ¹ ,

Hamada T ¹ ,

Yoneda K ¹ ,

Maekawa K ¹

Author information

Geriatrics & Gerontology International, 13 Feb 2024,
https://doi.org/10.1111/ggi.14834 PMID: 38351673 

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Abstract 

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Aim

There is limited evidence concerning the association between anemia and alterations in muscle health among hospitalized older patients. We aimed to evaluate the associations between baseline hemoglobin (Hb) levels and changes in muscle function in patients undergoing rehabilitation after stroke.

Methods

This retrospective cohort study included consecutive hospitalized post-stroke patients. Data on serum Hb level were extracted from medical records on tests performed within 24 h of admission. The main outcomes were discharge score for the skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) obtained through bioimpedance analysis and the corresponding change in SMI during hospitalization. Other outcomes were handgrip strength (HGS) at discharge and the alteration in HGS during hospitalization. Multivariate linear regression analyses were used to determine the association between Hb levels at admission and outcomes of interest, adjusted for potential confounders.

Results

Data from 955 patients (mean age 73.2 years; 53.6% men) were included in the analysis. The median Hb level at admission was 13.3 [11.9, 14.5] g/dL. After fully adjusting for confounding factors, the baseline Hb level was significantly and positively associated with SMI at discharge (β = 0.046, P = 0.039) and with SMI gain (β = 0.010, P = 0.039). Further, the baseline Hb level was independently and positively associated with HGS at discharge (β = 0.058, P = 0.014) and with its change from baseline (β = 0.100, P = 0.014).

Conclusion

Diminished baseline Hb levels were demonstrated be correlated with compromised muscle health in patients after stroke. Evaluating anemia at the outset serves as a crucial prognostic indicator. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2024; ••: ••-••.