Abstract
Many of the age-changes which occur in the alimentary system are asymptomatic. They may, however, directly predispose towards the development of clinical disorders; for example, constipation and diverticular disease become increasingly common with age. The functional and structural changes associated with ageing include: impairment of the sense of taste; disorder of oesophageal motility; atrophic changes in the gastric mucous membrane and the development of achlorhydria; functional impairment of small intestinal absorption; increase in gastrointestinal transit time leading to constipation and faecal impaction; the development of diverticula at various sites, in the oesophagus, duodenum, jejunum and especially in the colon.
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© 1979 A. N. Exton-Smith and P. W. Overstall
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Exton-Smith, A.N., Overstall, P.W. (1979). Alimentary system. In: Geriatrics. Guidelines in Medicine, vol 1. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-7191-5_8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-7191-5_8
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