Weight Loss In An Elderly Person
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.
Weight loss in an elderly person. In fact according to a report in american family physician unintentional weight loss which is defined as dropping more than 5 percent of your body weight in six to 12 months occurs in 15 to 20 percent of older adults and is linked to an. 1 elders are disproportionately impacted. The main way to help doctors is two fold.
Many older adults lose weight as they age which is not necessarily a good thing. Estimates suggest 13 3 of the population experiences unintentional weight loss and up to 7 experiences a loss exceeding 5 of baseline weight. Weight loss in seniors can also indicate substance abuse and alcoholism.
You spend much of your life trying to keep your weight down but with age shedding pounds can be cause for concern rather than celebration. There are various loss of appetite causes especially in the elderly. Weight loss is a key symptom of depression and mental illness.
One is to bring in a weight record showing how the older person s weight has changed over the past several months. As more people including elderly are overweight or obese weight loss is recommended to improve health. It is common for the average person to.
In some people depression may increase appetite. Loss of appetite causes in the elderly. It follows that unexplained weight loss in an older person almost always is a marker of an underlying illness.
The symptoms vary from person to person. 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. 27 of frail elders over the age of 65 experience involuntary weight loss.