Mazzali G, Bissoli L, Gambina S, Residori L, Pagliari P, Guariento S, Sun M, Broggio E, Bosello O, Zamboni M
Cattedra di Geriatria, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
J Nutr Health Aging. 2002;6(4):247-53.
Alzheimer s disease is the most frequent cause of dementia in elderly people and it is one of the leading causes of death among older individuals. Weight loss is a frequent clinical finding in Alzheimer s disease patients, and it is actually listed as a symptom consistent with the diagnosis of Alzheimer s disease, but its significance has not been clearly understood until now. This review examines the role of the components of energy balance in determining weight loss in AD patients, on the basis of data collected from the literature. We also considered the possible causes of anorexia in AD patients. In the last years many researchers investigated the possible role of abnormally high energy expenditure, or low energy intakes, or both, to explain weight loss in these patients. Studies on energy intake, energy expenditure and body composition in AD patients have been reviewed. The results of published studies do not seem to support the hypothesis of an hypermetabolic state or inadequate energy intake in AD patients, but further studies, with greater samples are necessary in the future to investigate weight loss in AD patients. A better understanding of this finding could be important to obtain the maximal lifespan of demented patients.
阿尔茨海默病是老年人痴呆最常见的病因，也是老年人主要死因之一。体重减轻是阿尔茨海默病患者常见的临床症状，实际上它被列为与阿尔茨海默病诊断相符的症状之一，但直到现在其意义仍未被明确理解。本综述基于从文献中收集的数据，探讨能量平衡各组成部分在阿尔茨海默病患者体重减轻过程中的作用。我们还考虑了阿尔茨海默病患者厌食的可能原因。近年来，许多研究人员探讨了能量消耗异常增加、能量摄入不足或两者兼而有之在解释这些患者体重减轻方面的可能作用。本文对有关阿尔茨海默病患者能量摄入、能量消耗和身体组成的研究进行了综述。已发表研究的结果似乎并不支持阿尔茨海默病患者处于高代谢状态或能量摄入不足的假设，但未来需要进行更大样本量的进一步研究，以探究阿尔茨海默病患者的体重减轻问题。更好地理解这一发现对于实现痴呆患者的最长寿命可能具有重要意义。
