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Gastroenterology

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Geriatric Medicine

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Abstract

Most disorders of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract found in elderly persons are the same as those seen in the remainder of the adult population. There are, however, distinct differences. One major difference is a dramatic change in the prevalence of certain diseases as the patient’s age increases, probably best illustrated by acute GI tract bleeding, which is more likely to be produced by mesenteric ischemia or angiodysplasias in old age. Because of these differences, the differential diagnosis must be altered in the elderly patient. Also, common adult illnesses may present in unusual fashion because of the greater potential for a combination of underlying chronic illnesses. Finally, because of the longer total life span of the elderly patient, there is a greater potential for complications of chronic disorders persisting over longer periods. This seems particularly likely in diseases that have malignant potential, such as ulcerative colitis or atrophic gastritis.

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Authors
  1. James B. Nelson
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  2. Donald O. Castell
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Section of General Internal Medicine, The University of Chicago Medical Center, 60637, Chicago, Illinois, USA

    Christine K. Cassel M.D. (Chief) (Chief)

  2. Journal of the American Medical Association, 60610, Chicago, Illinois, USA

    Donald E. Riesenberg M.D. (Senior Editor, Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine) (Senior Editor, Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine)

  3. Pritzker School of Medicine, University of Chicago, 60637, Chicago, Illinois, USA

    Donald E. Riesenberg M.D. (Senior Editor, Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine) (Senior Editor, Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine)

  4. Department of Medicine, Pritzker School of Medicine, University of Chicago, 60637, Chicago, Illinois, USA

    Leif B. Sorensen M.D., Ph.D. (Associate Chief) (Associate Chief)

  5. Geriatric Medicine, Portland V.A. Medical Center, 97207, Portland, Oregon, USA

    John R. Walsh M.D. (Chief) (Chief)

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© 1990 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Nelson, J.B., Castell, D.O. (1990). Gastroenterology. In: Cassel, C.K., Riesenberg, D.E., Sorensen, L.B., Walsh, J.R. (eds) Geriatric Medicine. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-2093-8_27

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-2093-8_27

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4757-2095-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-2093-8

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