Weight loss

[Jann]

We noticed my mother - who is in the early stages- and takes Ebixa -started to lose weight just after being diagnosed with AD. She has always had a healthy appetite and so Dad took her to the GP for tests. Nothing showed up as being unusual so it's a mystery. She's still underweight but thankfully, doesn't seem to have lost any more weight. I too have read that this symptom affects the later stages so we're at a loss as to why it's happened so soon.

 

[Amy]

I read an article on the Internet the other day that indicated that weight loss is often evident BEFORE any other signs of dementia.
Amy

 

[Kayla]

My mother has been losing weight for years and has been to a weight loss clinic, long before we knew she had any memory problems. Looking back I think it may be linked with the vascular dementia when it first started but the doctors have never suggested that. We've just assumed she wasn't eating properly or it was the drugs for her arthritis. Her nursing home feed her very well with several meals and snacks a day, but she is very thin. This could be muscle wastage as she isn't walking. It seems like weight loss should be seen as a warning sign of dementia.

 

[mumof3]

Kayla that sounds very similar to my MIL's past history. She has lost about 4 stones over the last 5 years or so, before any symtoms of the vascular dementia were apparent. This was also put down to rhumatoid arthritis and the drugs she had to take and in my MIL's case depression.

My MIL is now just over 6 stone and although she probably now eats more than she ever did (including huge amounts of sweets, chocolate and cakes) cannot seem to gain any weight.

Spoke to the GP about this this week but he did not seem very concerned and said that there was no need for fortified milk drinks or the like as long as my MIL was eating.

I must say that I do agree with some of the earlier posts that nervous energy and agitation may burn off a lot of the calories consumed.