Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 27, 2026
04:19
A Computer-Based Platform for Aiding Clinicians in Eating Disorder Analysis and Diagnosis
Published on: May 10, 2022
4.7K
Eating Disorders in Older Age: A Scoping Review
Merve Oğur1,2, Başak Yücel3, Yasemin Güniz Sertel4
1Department of Psychology, Dogus University, Istanbul, Türkiye.
Clinical Gerontologist
|March 25, 2026
Summary
Eating disorders (ED) affect midlife and older adults, presenting similarly to younger populations. These conditions are underrecognized, posing significant health risks and requiring age-sensitive clinical approaches.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Psychiatry
- Public Health
Background:
- Eating disorders (ED) are typically associated with adolescence and young adulthood.
- However, ED can manifest across the entire lifespan, including midlife and older adulthood (≥40 years).
Purpose of the Study:
- To map the existing literature on eating disorders in midlife and older adults.
- To examine prevalence, clinical characteristics, age of onset, and consequences within a biopsychosocial framework.
Main Methods:
- A scoping review was conducted following PRISMA-ScR guidelines.
- A systematic literature search was performed up to August 2025, including peer-reviewed English or Turkish articles.
- Studies exclusively on children or adolescents were excluded.
Main Results:
- Twenty-nine publications were included, revealing prevalent and heterogeneous ED presentations in midlife and older adults.
- Prevalence estimates were comparable to younger populations, often with significant medical and psychiatric comorbidities.
- Underrecognition, diagnostic challenges, and limited age-specific treatments were consistently reported.
Conclusions:
- Eating disorders in later life are a significant, underrecognized clinical concern with high morbidity and mortality risks.
- Improved diagnostic awareness and age-sensitive research are crucial.
- Clinicians should consider ED in older adults and utilize multidisciplinary, biopsychosocial approaches accounting for age-related complexities.
Related Concept Videos
01:28Anorexia Nervosa
1.8K
Anorexia nervosa is a complex and severe eating disorder characterized by an intense fear of weight gain, an unrelenting pursuit of thinness, and a distorted body image. It often leads to dangerously low body weight relative to an individual's age and height. This disorder is marked by significant physical and psychological consequences, making it one of the most life-threatening psychiatric illnesses.
Symptoms and Physical Effects
Individuals with anorexia nervosa commonly exhibit extreme...
Symptoms and Physical Effects
Individuals with anorexia nervosa commonly exhibit extreme...
1.8K
01:23Binge Eating Disorders
729
Binge eating disorder is a significant mental health condition characterized by recurrent episodes of excessive food consumption within a short period, accompanied by a perceived loss of control over eating behavior. Unlike occasional overeating, binge eating disorder is marked by distressing emotions such as guilt, shame, and anxiety following binge episodes. The disorder affects individuals across different ages and backgrounds, with profound implications for physical and psychological...
729
01:30Bulimia Nervosa
997
Bulimia nervosa is a complex and severe eating disorder characterized by a cyclical pattern of binge-and-purge eating pattern. It generally involves an episode of binge eating, followed by compensatory behaviors such as vomiting, excessive exercise, laxative use, or fasting, to prevent weight gain. Despite often maintaining a normal weight, individuals with bulimia are intensely preoccupied with their body image and harbor an overwhelming fear of gaining weight. This can contribute to the...
997
01:15Drug Dosing: Geriatric Patients
345
Elderly individuals encompass a diverse population with varying degrees of age-related physiological changes. Defining the elderly presents challenges, as the geriatric population is often arbitrarily categorized as individuals older than 65. However, many individuals in this group lead active and healthy lives, with an increasing number surpassing 85 years and falling into the older elderly category. Physiological changes associated with aging impact performance capacity and homeostatic...
345
01:27Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age
315
Age-related pharmacokinetic changes are extensively documented, but understanding age-related pharmacodynamic alterations is relatively limited. This knowledge gap can be partly attributed to the complexity of developing appropriate measures of drug responses compared to bioanalytical methods for determining drug concentrations.Most information regarding age-related differences in human pharmacodynamics originates from cross-sectional studies. However, these studies assume that observed mean...
315
01:18Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Excretion
313
In geriatric patients, renal physiology undergoes significant changes, including diminished renal blood flow and a lower glomerular filtration rate (GFR), leading to alterations in medication clearance. Drugs such as aminoglycoside antibiotics, lithium, and digoxin, which rely on glomerular filtration for removal from the body, particularly impact pharmacokinetics. These drugs tend to have slower clearance rates in older adults, necessitating careful dosage considerations.Evaluation of renal...
313