[Geriatric diseases of the upper digestive tract]

During aging, secretion and motility of the upper GI tract slow down. The reduction of these functions, however, does not create complaints. In the higher age groups, a number of symptoms from age-dependent diseases occur more frequently, e.g., dysphagia in response to cerebral ischemia, or disturbed gastric emptying caused by diabetic visceral neuropathy. Moreover, certain GI diseases occur more often in the elderly, e.g., chronic atrophic gastritis, NSAR-induced gastric ulcers, malignancies, and others. In contrast, almost nothing is known about diseases or symptoms of the GI tract that might be specific for the elderly. With only a few exceptions, there are no age-dependent clinical differences. Nevertheless, intestinal diseases often develop more rapidly and the mortality is higher in the elderly than in younger people.