Prevalence of and Recovery From Anemia Following Hospitalization for Critical Illness Among Adults

Key Points Question Is anemia in patients with critical illness associated with persistent anemia following discharge? Findings In this cohort study of 6901 adults hospitalized for critical illness, 41% had prevalent anemia preceding hospitalization and 74% of those without prehospitalization anemia developed incident anemia, for an overall anemia prevalence of 80% at hospital discharge. Rates of complete recovery from hospital discharge anemia at 12 months posthospitalization for those alive with available hemoglobin assessments were 58% for mild anemia, 39% for moderate anemia, and 24% for severe anemia. Meaning The findings of this study suggest that anemia is common and often persistent in the first year after critical illness.