title: An approach to the management of unintentional weight loss in elderly people.
abstract: Unintentional weight loss, or the involuntary decline in total body weight over time, is common among elderly people who live at home. Weight loss in elderly people can have a deleterious effect on the ability to function and on quality of life and is associated with an increase in mortality over a 12-month period. A variety of physical, psychological and social conditions, along with age-related changes, can lead to weight loss, but there may be no identifiable cause in up to one-quarter of patients. We review the incidence and prevalence of weight loss in elderly patients, its impact on morbidity and mortality, the common causes of unintentional weight loss and a clinical approach to diagnosis. Screening tools to detect malnutrition are highlighted, and nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic strategies to minimize or reverse weight loss in older adults are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Division of General Internal Medicine and Clinical Epidemiology, University Health Network, Toronto, Ont. shabbir.alibhai@uhn.on.ca
authors.forename: Shabbir M H
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Alibhai
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Greenwood
authors.forename: Hélène
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Payette
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D001066:Appetite / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D009026:Mortality; D015995:Prevalence; D011379:Prognosis; D015431:Weight Loss / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology