Relationship between Eating Disturbance and Dementia Severity in Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease

Abstract

BackgroundEating is one of the most important daily activities in managing patients with dementia. Although various eating disturbance occur as dementia progresses, to our knowledge, most of the studies focused on a part of eating disturbance such as swallowing and appetite. There have been few comprehensive studies including eating habits and food preference in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The aims of this study were to investigate almost all eating disturbance and to examine the relationship of eating disturbance to dementia stage in AD.MethodsA total of 220 patients with AD and 30 normal elderly (NE) subjects were recruited. Eating disturbance was assessed by a comprehensive questionnaire that had been previously validated. Potential relationships between the characteristics of eating disturbance and dementia stage as classified by the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) were assessed.ResultsOverall, 81.4% of patients with AD showed some eating and swallowing disturbance, whereas only 26.7% of the NE subjects had such a disturbance. Even in an early stage, patients with AD had many types of eating disturbance; “Appetite change” was shown in nearly half of the mild AD patients (49.5%). In the moderate stage, the scores of “change of eating habits and food preference” were highest, and in the severe stage “swallowing disturbance” became critical.ConclusionIn AD, the relationship of dementia stage to eating disturbance differs according to the type of eating disturbance. The relationships between various eating disturbance and the severity of dementia should be considered.

Efficacy of rivastigmine transdermal therapy on low food intake in patients with Alzheimer's disease: The Attitude Towards Food Consumption in Alzheimer's Disease Patients Revive with Rivastigmine Effects study

“…The present study shows that rivastigmine transdermal patch therapy increased the dietary food intake amount in AD patients experiencing loss of appetite symptomatology. Previous work has shown that a majority of AD patients experience a problematic loss of appetite . These eating problems occur even in mild AD, and represent one of the greatest sources of complications and mortality in advanced AD patients .…”

“…Worldwide, nearly 47 million people have Alzheimer's disease (AD) or a related dementia, which is the leading cause of disability in later life . More than 80% of patients with AD manifest poor food intake or loss of appetite, which might increase their risk of further cognitive impairments, neuropsychiatric symptoms and malnutrition . As a result, a vicious cycle decreases the functionality and quality of life in patients with AD.…”

Effect of rivastigmine on plasma butyrylcholine esterase activity and plasma ghrelin levels in patients with dementia in Alzheimer’s disease

“…The patients in the present study were aged ≥80 years on average, were mild‐to‐moderate AD patients with long disease duration and they had eating issues. It has been reported that loss of appetite can occur even in mild AD . Loss of appetite causes weight loss, which is associated with the onset of AD and progression of dementia .…”

“…It has been reported that loss of appetite can occur even in mild AD. 19 Loss of appetite causes weight loss, which is associated with the onset of AD and progression of dementia. 20,21 Recent studies have also shown that weight loss is associated with progression from mild cognitive impairment to AD, 22 and that body mass index is significantly correlated with the amyloid beta level in the cerebral cortex.…”

The nutritional care of people living with dementia at home: A scoping review

“…Symptoms of the different types of dementia (e.g. Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia) that can affect nutritional status include changes in memory, motor skills, visuospatial ability, taste, appetite and swallow function (Ikeda, Brown, Holland, Fukuhara, & Hodges, ; Kai et al., ). The presentation of the aforementioned symptoms varies among individuals as the disease progresses (van der Linde, Dening, Matthews, & Brayne, ).…”