Unintentional Weight Loss In Older Adults Bmj
Unintentional weight loss in persons older than 65 years is associated with increased morbidity and mortality.
Unintentional weight loss in older adults bmj. The brief answer is that yes you should be concerned. Unintentional weight loss occurs in 15 20 of older adults those over 65 and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality 1 clinical and epidemiological studies have reported even higher prevalence in certain populations with as many as 27 of community dwelling elderly people and 50 60 of nursing home residents being affected 1 2 w1 weight loss may be the presenting problem or an. A recent systematic review and meta analysis 25 studies examined the likelihood of a cancer diagnosis in adults presenting to primary care with weight loss 5 more than one in 10 people aged over 60 years reporting weight loss were subsequently diagnosed with cancer.
As a caregiver or family member here are some of the possible causes of weight loss to explore with your older relative and their doctor. Many older adults lose weight as they age which is not necessarily a good thing. Unintentional weight loss i e more than a 5 reduction in body weight within six to 12 months occurs in 15 to 20 of older adults and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality 1 in.
Unintentional weight loss frequently occurs in the older population 20 and it is related to various morbidities including dementia 21 23 thus a few studies have investigated the effect of later life body mass index bmi and weight change on dementia but the results were also inconsistent 22 25 the majority of such studies did not fully. The most common. It is indeed very common for older adults to experience at some point in late life.
Unintentional weight loss in older adults jenna mcminn 1 claire steel 2 adam bowman3 unintentional weight loss occurs in 15 20 of older adults those over 65 and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality 1 clinical and epidemiological studies have reported even higher prevalence in certain. When an older adult loses five percent or more of their weight over a period of six months and they are not specifically working on weight loss this could be cause for alarm. A risk of 3 7 in women and 11 14 in men 5 the national institute for health.
Nursing home reform as a loss of 5 of body weight in one month or 10.