[Anemia in the elderly: diagnosis and therapeutic approach].

Anaemia is particularly common amongthe elderly population. It is necessary, with the aid of the mean glomerular volume, to determine if it is microcytic, normocytic or macrocytic. Similarly, the level of reticulocytes indicates whether the anaemia is regenerative or non-regenerative. A systematic approach helps to identify the causes of this low haemoglobin level. As always in the elderly, it is necessary to be aware of their inflammatory status and estimate the iatrogenic risk.