Eating disorders in the elderly are quite common. The most common are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Eating disorders appearing in elderly patients are especially dangerous for the body. How to stimulate the elderly's appetite?

Contents:

  1. Eating disorders in the elderly: causes
  2. Eating disorders in the elderly: phenomena favoring eating disorders
  3. Eating disorders in the elderly: the effects of pharmacotherapy and some diseases
  4. Eating disorders in the elderly: types and symptoms
  5. Eating disorders in the elderly: consequences
  6. Eating disorders in the elderly: treatment

Oeating disordersmore and more has been said for some time, which is due to the fact that the prevalence of these problems, unfortunately, is systematically increasing.

This group of he alth problems includes primarily anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. However, it is more and more often mentioned that other eating disorders, such as binge eating, drunkorexia, orthorexia and pregorexia also appear in humans.

Eating disorders are most often found in young patients, that is, adolescents and young adults. It is mentioned quite rarely, while eating disorders can appear at any age, also in elderly people.

This problem is often underestimated in this group and therefore not recognized at all, which poses a very high risk for seniors due to the fact that the consequences of eating disorders may be much more serious in them than in younger patients.

Eating disorders in the elderly: causes

In general, in the case of various eating disorders, it is noted that their causes can be problems such as constant negative judgments about one's appearance or experiencing various traumatic events.

It is also mentioned that inherited genes may have an impact on the occurrence of eating disorders (it is noticeable that when someone in a given person's family struggled with eating disorders, he himself is in the group of increased the risk that a similar problem will ariseat him).

Eating disorders in the elderly quite often, however, have a slightly different background from the same problems that arise in younger patients.

Firstly, it happens that a patient in the past, in his youth, struggled with an eating disorder that he once managed to overcome, and his symptoms recur in old age.

Secondly, in the fall of life, various changes in the functioning of the body occur, which simply … contribute to problems with food intake.

Eating disorders in the elderly: phenomena favoring eating disorders

With age, the so-called lean body mass, but then the fat tissue content in the body of a senior increases.

Due to these phenomena, the number of highly active cells (e.g. muscle cells) is reduced, which means that the overall energy demand and basic metabolism decrease. This leads, along with less physical activity than in young people, to a reduction in the amount of energy that must be supplied to the body, which may result in a decrease in appetite.

Over the years, the number of taste buds in the body decreases, which results in impaired perception of various stimuli such as taste and smell.

This phenomenon is also not conducive to appetite - reduced taste sensation usually results in suppression of appetite.

Many seniors struggle with dental problems - some of them have significant missing teeth, others suffer from periodontitis, which may result in the process of grinding and chewing food not being fully correct, which may lead to reluctance to eat.

Natural processes related to aging are also a reduction in salivation, a slower intestinal peristalsis and a decrease in the secretion of hydrochloric acid in the stomach.

The first of these problems causes that the food intake is insufficiently moisturized in the mouth and it is more difficult to swallow.

The slowdown in peristalsis can lead to troublesome constipation, while a decrease in the production of gastric hydrochloric acid may result in food remaining in this organ for longer.

All of these age-related changes also contribute to the emergence of eating disorders in the elderly.

Eating disorders in the elderly: the effects of pharmacotherapy and some diseases

It should absolutely be mentioned here that eating disorders in seniors are caused not only naturallyprocesses taking place in the body. Sometimes they are caused by the patient taking excessive amounts of medication, which - in the case of elderly people - is quite common.

Patients who take several or a dozen different preparations quite often complain of various unpleasant ailments from the gastrointestinal tract, such as diarrhea, nausea, constipation and reflux or vomiting.

Their worsening may occur in connection with food intake, and therefore patients may limit the amount of food consumed.

It also happens that eating disorders in the elderly are the result of a specific illness in the elderly. Appetite disorders are sometimes one of the symptoms of depression, and they are also found in the course of various dementia disorders (including Alzheimer's disease).

Patients with Parkinson's disease may complain of a weakened sense of smell, and this, as mentioned above, may also be the reason for the senior's decreased interest in eating.

Eating disorders in the elderly: types and symptoms

Just as some people find it hard to imagine a senior suffering from anorexia nervosa, this problem may also appear in the elderly.

It is rarely caused by over-focusing on your own appearance and striving to achieve the lowest possible body weight, but such a basis for anorexia in seniors is definitely possible.

In the course of this problem, patients may gradually limit their food intake, eventually reaching the point that they will eat the minimum amount necessary for survival.

It also happens that seniors - in order to reduce body weight - take large amounts of laxatives.

Anorexia is the most common eating disorder in the elderly. The second most common problem in this age group is bulimia.

Similarly to younger people, also in elderly patients in its course there are bouts of extreme hunger, followed by behaviors aimed at preventing weight gain - patients may deliberately induce vomiting or abuse drugs. laxatives.

Another eating disorder that also affects some seniors is binge eating. The essence of the problem is regular episodes of consuming unusually large amounts of food (much larger than what the average person can eat at the same time), after which the patient develops a strong sense of guiltbecause of the inability to abstain from eating.

Eating disorders in the elderly: consequences

Eating disorders are serious for people of all ages, but the consequences for seniors can be particularly serious. They have various systems and organs - incl. structures of the nervous system, heart, liver and kidneys - they are much less efficient and it is simply much easier to damage them.

Various nutrient deficiencies appear faster and more strongly in seniors than in young people, and it is also easier for them to develop various disorders of the acid-base balance or water and electrolyte balance.

The appearance of such abnormalities in connection with eating disorders in the elderly can lead to their premature death - these problems definitely require treatment.

Eating disorders in the elderly: treatment

When eating disorders are suspected in a senior, first of all it is necessary to look for their sources - for example, when depressive disorders led to their occurrence, effective treatment may result in an improvement in appetite and anorexia.

And when it turns out that the problem occurred due to a negative effect on the gastrointestinal tract of pharmaceuticals taken by the elderly, modifications of pharmacotherapy may be helpful.

In other cases - when eating disorders in the elderly are an independent problem - psychological support may be necessary in their treatment, and sometimes also pharmacotherapy.

About the authorBow. Tomasz NęckiA graduate of medicine at the Medical University of Poznań. An admirer of the Polish sea (most willingly strolling along its shores with headphones in his ears), cats and books. In working with patients, he focuses on always listening to them and spending as much time as they need.

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Category:

Geriatrics