ABSTRACT
In. the.early.1970s.clinicians.described.a. set.of. symptoms.associated.with.an. idiopathic.decline. in.health.and.well-being.of. individuals.who.were.approaching. the.end.of. life..These. symptoms. included.involuntary.weight.loss,.attenuated.food.intake,.increased.fragility,.depression,.and.a.general.lack.of.social.competence..Collectively,.these.symptoms.were.referred.to.as.geriatric.failure. to.thrive.because.the.patients.did.not.respond.to.interventions.and.they.were.likely.to.die.within. weeks.of.admission. to. the.hospital. [1]..Subsequent. clinical. and.experimental. investigations. into. the.mechanism.underlying.geriatric.failure.to.thrive.suggested.that.involuntary.weight.loss.caused. by.a.decline.in.appetite.(food.intake).was.the.initial.manifestation.of.the.disorder..So.common.and. pervasive.were. the.presentation.of.weight. loss/attenuated. food. intake. that. the. term.“anorexia.of. aging”.became.a.more.common.descriptor.for.the.collection.of.signs.and.symptoms.associated.with. geriatric.failure.to.thrive.
