Changes in appetite, food choice and eating behavior in different clinical variants of dementia
Abstract
Dementia is a disease that should be considered as a multifactorial process [1, 3, 4, 6]. In patients with dementia, behavioral disorders can be observed frequently, sometimes at a strange level. These include delusions, misidentification syndromes, mood swings, delusions, aggressive behavior, and sleep disturbances. Among these changes, changes in eating habits were also noted [4]. The eating behavior of the elderly can be considered as a complex process determined by physiological, pathological, and psychological factors. Changes in diet or eating habits may not be noticeable upon initial admission to patients with dementia. As the disease progresses, patients may resist or be indifferent to eating, unable to properly absorb food when it's in the mouth (oral dysphagia) or aspirate when swallowing (pharyngeal dysphagia) [4, 5]. Such behavioral problems are perceived as a heavy burden by family caregivers, as they may experience stress, depression, and social isolation [2]. The purpose of this article is to study the general problems associated with nutrition, diet, nutritional regimen, and food intake observed in various clinical variants of dementia.