Huge Weight Loss - Dementia or something else?

[Sunflower10]

I am after some advice with regard to my mothers huge weight loss. My mum is 63 and in the final stages of Alzheimers Disease. She had been doing reasonably well until January this year when she was admitted to hospital with a UTI having deteriorated rapidly. Mum has continued to detiorate and went from hospital to a nursing home and is now immobile, doubly incontinent, unable to speak or do anything for herself. However since January she has started losing weight. Mum had spent her life on diets and was not someone who would easily shed pounds however since going into hospital in January weighing approximately 13.1/2 stone she has lost weight week after week and this week she weighed 9 stone. My mother is very, very thin having lost all fat and muscle on her body.

The care home could not understand her weight loss as she has a healthy appetite and is eating what meals she is fed. (I too have fed her meals which she eats). The home are monitoring her eating and the Dr has prescribed Complan which she has twice a day and is still losing weight. The Dr has also taken bloods which have returned as normal. The GP has said that if it is something else (cancer?) then it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack and mum would probably not respond well with trips in and out of hospital for investigation. Equally if it something else I do not want mum to suffer unnecessarily as she would be unable to say if she was in pain.

Does anyone else have experience of weight loss during end stage dementia. Or is it likely to be some other underlying cause (thyroid function is fine).

It is horrible to see mum now just a shadow of her former self.

Any advice would be greatly received.

 

[Chemmy]

Hello Sunflower

It does sound as though there is some underlying condition if she's eating OK.

Does she seem content in herself? That would be my main aim in your place.

I have already decided that I don't want my mum to have any intrusive tests (her GP and I agreed not to take her into hospital to investigate a lump) and as long as she is kept comfortable and pain free, like you I am prepared to let nature take it's course.

 

[Witzend]

I am after some advice with regard to my mothers huge weight loss. My mum is 63 and in the final stages of Alzheimers Disease. She had been doing reasonably well until January this year when she was admitted to hospital with a UTI having deteriorated rapidly. Mum has continued to detiorate and went from hospital to a nursing home and is now immobile, doubly incontinent, unable to speak or do anything for herself. However since January she has started losing weight. Mum had spent her life on diets and was not someone who would easily shed pounds however since going into hospital in January weighing approximately 13.1/2 stone she has lost weight week after week and this week she weighed 9 stone. My mother is very, very thin having lost all fat and muscle on her body.

The care home could not understand her weight loss as she has a healthy appetite and is eating what meals she is fed. (I too have fed her meals which she eats). The home are monitoring her eating and the Dr has prescribed Complan which she has twice a day and is still losing weight. The Dr has also taken bloods which have returned as normal. The GP has said that if it is something else (cancer?) then it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack and mum would probably not respond well with trips in and out of hospital for investigation. Equally if it something else I do not want mum to suffer unnecessarily as she would be unable to say if she was in pain.

Does anyone else have experience of weight loss during end stage dementia. Or is it likely to be some other underlying cause (thyroid function is fine).

It is horrible to see mum now just a shadow of her former self.

Any advice would be greatly received.

It wasn't at the end stage, but my mother also lost a huge amount of weight over a couple of years. She is a very thin shadow of what she was and although she does eat, her appetite is also a shadow of its former self.

Losing weight does seem to be a factor, though like everything else with dementia I guess it will vary from person to person. My aunt (mother's sister) also lost a lot of weight with dementia - when she died last summer she was also very thin after being probably a size 14-16 for donkeys' years.

If your mum does not seem distressed and they can't find any specific cause, I think I would try not to worry about it. Though easier said than done, I know.

 

[sussexsue]

My poor mum looked positively skeletal at the end, but TBH it was totally connected with her just not wanting to eat anything. If she is still eating, but losing weight I would be concerned that there is an underlying condition other than alzheimers.

 

[window7]

My mum has lost about 15kg over the last year or so, and now weighs about 35kg. The doctor has detected some irregular nodes around her neck, so the doctor has decided that she should be further tested.

My mum has always been thin but with dementia, she is in poor mood most of the time and this has affected her appetite - although I am not sure if this is the reason for her massive weight loss.

 

[Sunflower10]

Thank you for your comments. Mum is not showing any signs that she is uncomfortable or in pain which is a good thing. My main concern is that she has lost so much weight without trying that if she now gets ill she will not have anything left to fight with. Fortunately she had the majority of her weight to lose. (the sad thing is that if it were 10 years ago she would have been pleased as punch to have lost so much weight and be in size 10 clothes!) Mum always said that she used to carry extra padding incase she ever got ill - how true those words turned out to be.

 

[Canadian Joanne]

Has her thryoid been checked? I'm assuming it has but I'm trying to think of anything.

 

[jenniferpa]

You say your mother is in end stage Alzheimer's. How long has your mother had Alzheimer's? I ask because there is some research around that indicates that at a certain point in dementia, the body stops being able to metabolize food, so that no matter what is eaten it's never enough. I don't think it happens with everyone, but it does happen with some people.

Mind you - I'd be checking for diabetes if it hasn't already been done. A friend of mine was delighted to lose weight since she had always struggled and then discovered she had adult onset type one diabetes which I believe is fairly unusual (most people diagnosed as adults tend to have Type 2). Anyway, that can produce this sort of weightloss.