Involuntary Weight Loss: Diagnostic and Prognostic Significance

Marton, Keith I.; Sox, Harold C.; Krupp, Jan R.

doi:10.7326/0003-4819-95-5-568

Cited by 196 publications

(107 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…24 The incidence of unintentional weight loss in clinical studies involving adults seeking health care varies from 1.3% to 8%, depending on the setting and definition of weight loss. 1,3,4,25 There is also a difference in rates between clinical and epidemiologic studies, probably because most patients with weight loss present within a year of onset of their clinical symptoms.…”

Section: How Common Is Weight Loss?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In clinical practice, it is encountered in up to 8% of all adult outpatients 1 and 27% of frail people 65 years and older. 2 Weight loss is an important risk factor in elderly patients.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is associated with increased mortality, which can range from 9% to as high as 38% within 1 to 2.5 years after weight loss has occurred. 1,3,4 Frail elderly people, 5 people with low baseline body weight, [5][6][7] and elderly patients recently admitted to hospital are particularly susceptible to increased mortality. 8,9 Weight loss is also associated with an increased risk of in-hospital complications, 10,11 a decline in activities of daily living or physical function, 12,13 higher rates of admission to an institution 2,8 and poorer quality of life.…”

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confidence: 99%

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An approach to the management of unintentional weight loss in elderly people

Alibhai

Greenwood²,

Payette³

2005

Canadian Medical Association Journal

235

143

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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.

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Section: How Common Is Weight Loss?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In clinical practice, it is encountered in up to 8% of all adult outpatients 1 and 27% of frail people 65 years and older. 2 Weight loss is an important risk factor in elderly patients.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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An approach to the management of unintentional weight loss in elderly people

Alibhai

Greenwood²,

Payette³

2005

Canadian Medical Association Journal

235

143

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“…In a study of 1200 male medical clinic patients, 8% reported unintentional weight loss in the previous 6 months. Among these individuals, 35% had no identifiable physical cause of the weight loss (8). However, two-thirds of these individuals had a chronic disease (e.g., hypertension, coronary artery disease, or cerebrovascular disease) or a psychiatric disease associated with weight loss (e.g., depression).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

History of Intentional and Unintentional Weight Loss in a Population‐Based Sample of Women Aged 55 to 69 Years

et al. 1995

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of intentional and unintentional weight loss in a population-based sample of women aged 55 to 69 years. Obes Res. 1995;3:163-170.Although both overweight and body weight fluctuation a r e related to chronic disease risk, little is known about the history of and reasons for body weight change in the general population. This paper reports the incidence of intentional and unintentional weight loss episodes during adulthood in.a population-based sample of 26,261 women aged 55 to 69 years. Intentional weight loss episodes of each of four amounts (5-9, 10-19, 20-49, SO+ lbs.) and unintentional weight loss episodes of 20 or more lbs. were recalled for each of three age periods (18-39, 40-54, 55+ years). A t least one intentional weight loss episode of 5 or more Ibs. was reported by 69% of women, 46% reported at least one intentional weight loss episode of 10 or more Ibs, and 25% reported at least one intentional weight loss episode 20 or more Ibs. At least one unintentional weight loss episode of 20 or more Ibs. was reported by 29% of the women. Reasons for weight losses of 20 or more Ibs. were also recalled. Women who had intentionally lost 20 or more Ibs. were more likely to report weight losses due to low-calorie diets, exercise and weight loss groups, while women who had unintentionally lost 20 or more Ibs. were more likely to report weight losses due to depression or stress. These findings question the common assumption that weight losses in adult women are primarily intentional and emphasize the need to distinguish the reasons for weight loss in studies examining the relationship between body weight changes and health outcomes.

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“…Its definition in most observational studies is a 5% or more reduction in body weight over 6-12 month [1,2,3]. Unintentional weight loss is a common and long-term health concern in elder people which is difficult to diagnosis.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%