Taylor Imogen Aleksandra, Gill Isaac, Harripaul Azad
Elderly Care Medicine, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Essex, UK.
BMJ Case Rep. 2015 Jan 23;2015:bcr2014206847. doi: 10.1136/bcr-2014-206847.
An 80-year-old woman presented with long-standing history of weight loss and malnutrition, which had caused her to become reliant on the use of a wheelchair. Her symptoms were initially attributed to her medical comorbidities, however, during admission it became apparent that she had been suffering from depression and had gone on to develop an eating disorder. Eating disorders are most common in young adults but can affect all age groups, including the elderly population. The diagnosis is rarely considered in such patients and easily overlooked, especially when in the presence of chronic conditions and cognitive decline. A pre-existing psychiatric issue, most often depression, may also be present in this age group. There are no current treatment methods targeting patients in this population, who may not respond as effectively to the available strategies directed at young adults. It is important to always consider an eating disorder as a contributor or direct cause of unexplained weight loss in elderly patients.
一名80岁女性，有长期体重减轻和营养不良病史，这使她不得不依赖轮椅行动。她的症状最初被归因于其合并的内科疾病，然而，在住院期间发现她一直患有抑郁症，并进而发展成了一种饮食失调症。饮食失调症在年轻人中最为常见，但可影响所有年龄组，包括老年人群。在这类患者中很少会考虑到这一诊断，且很容易被忽视，尤其是在存在慢性病和认知衰退的情况下。这个年龄组中可能还存在先前就有的精神问题，最常见的是抑郁症。目前没有针对这一人群患者的治疗方法，他们可能对针对年轻人的现有治疗策略反应不佳。始终将饮食失调症视为老年患者不明原因体重减轻的一个促成因素或直接原因是很重要的。
