As elderly relatives grow older, caretakers and relatives need to keep an eye on warning signs of problems the signals come in many forms, and one common symptom the elderly experience is weight loss weight loss in the elderly, however, is not always a sign of a problem, which can make it particularly difficult to. Weight loss and depression in the elderly. Many older adults lose weight as they age, which is not necessarily a good thing 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 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.
weight loss and depression in the elderly
What are some of the causes of unintentional weight loss in the elderly? depression, cancer, heart disease, and medications may be causes, among others seniors are more at risk for these causes if they live in a long-term care facility, do not receive frequent and adequate healthcare checkups, or have a family history of any of these causes. Unintentional weight loss often signals serious pathology. estimates suggest 13.3% of the population experiences unintentional weight loss, and up to 7% experiences a loss exceeding 5% of baseline weight. 1 elders are disproportionately impacted; 27% of frail elders over the age of 65 experience involuntary weight loss. 2 most practitioners and researchers define unintentional weight loss as a. To further simplify, weight loss in seniors tends to come down to disease, psychiatry, or life circumstances. diseases, most notably cancer, as well as the medications used to treat those diseases are a common cause. psychiatric issues like depression are a common cause of weight loss in elderly people..
