Journal of Medical Cases, ISSN 1923-4155 print, 1923-4163 online, Open Access
Article copyright, the authors; Journal compilation copyright, J Med Cases and Elmer Press Inc
Journal website http://www.journalmc.org

Case Report

Volume 8, Number 4, April 2017, pages 119-123

Anorexia due to Depression in the Elderly From the Viewpoint of Primary Care

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1. The HAM-D is designed to rate the severity of depression in patients. Although it contains 21 areas, it calculates the patient’s score on the first 17 answers. The following severity ranges for the HAM-D are: no depression (0 - 7), mild depression (8 - 16), moderate depression (17 - 23), and severe depression (≥ 24) [6]. Her HAM-D score was 17 points on admission.
Figure 2.
Figure 2. MRI of the head (T2-weighted sequences) showed some light scattering of ischemic changes in the white matter of the deep parts of the frontal lobe, but the atrophy is expected of someone her age.

Table

Table 1. Factors That Influence Refusal to Eat in the Elderly
 
Depression
Dementia
Anorexia nervosa
Organic disease (e.g., various cancers and endocrine disorders)
Alcohol dependence
Neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., Parkinson’s disease)
Stroke sequelae
Other mental disorders
Unstable mental condition
Side effects of drugs
Senility