Rana G Zaini¹*, Nahed Hawsawi¹, Abdulrahman Alsulaiman², Ahmed Aljohani², Nojood Althubaity³, Alhanouf Alsubaie¹, Nora Alharthi¹, Joud Albugami¹, Jory Bathinin¹ and Raneem Alsufyani¹

¹Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia
²Department of Microbiology, Al Hada Military Hospital, Taif, Saudi Arabia
³Department of Hematology, Al Hada Military Hospital, Taif, Saudi Arabia

*Corresponding Author: Rana G Zaini, Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia.

Received: June 22, 2026; Published: July 23, 2026

Background: Anemia is a common hematological abnormality among hospitalized patients and is frequently associated with bacterial infections and systemic inflammation. Reduced hemoglobin levels may reflect disease severity and negatively affect clinical outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate hemoglobin levels and the prevalence, severity, and morphological patterns of anemia among hospitalized patients with culture-confirmed bacterial infections.

Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted at Al Hada Military Hospital. A total of 212 hospitalized patients with culture-confirmed bacterial infections were included. Demographic and laboratory data were obtained from medical records. Complete blood count parameters were analyzed using Sysmex XN-9000 analyzer. Anemia was classified according to World Health Organization criteria based on severity and morphology. Statistical analysis was performed using descriptive statistics, chi-square test, and independent t-test.

Results: Among the 212 patients, 80.2% were anemic, while 19.8% had normal hemoglobin levels. The mean age of anemic patients was 70.9 ± 18.5 years, with the majority aged ≥65 years. Normocytic normochromic anemia was the most common morphological type (61.2%), followed by microcytic hypochromic anemia (28.2%). Moderate anemia was the predominant severity category (67.6%). Gram-positive bacteria accounted for 68.8% of isolates. No significant association was found between Gram stain type and anemia severity or hemoglobin levels (p > 0.05).

Conclusion: Anemia was highly prevalent among hospitalized patients with culture-confirmed bacterial infections, particularly among elderly patients. Normocytic normochromic and moderate anemia were the most common patterns, supporting the role of inflammation in anemia development. Hemoglobin assessment may serve as an important clinical indicator in hospitalized patients with bacterial infections.

Keywords: Hemoglobin; Anemia; Bacterial Infections; Blood Culture; Hospitalized Patients

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Citation

Citation: Rana G Zaini. et al. “Hemoglobin Levels and Anemia Patterns in Hospitalized Patients with Culture-Confirmed Bacterial Infections". Acta Scientific Medical Sciences 10.8 (2026): 21-27.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2026 Rana G Zaini. et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.