老年人的胃肠疾病常可导致严重的活动丧失,故胃肠病医师及研究者应予以关注。 咽下困难及大便失禁:最常引起老年人咽下困难的问题不在食管体或下食管括约肌而是影响食物从口腔通过食管上段括约肌的问题。病人因咀嚼、舌及咽部的肌肉无力,而更常见的是由于疾病影响肌肉或中枢神经系统而忘记如何吞咽从而无法起始吞咽过程。神经异常包括脑血管意外、器质性精神综合征及帕金森 Gastrointestinal diseases of the elderly can often lead to serious loss of activity, so gastroenterologists and researchers should pay attention. Dysphagia and fecal incontinence: The problem most commonly caused by dysphagia in the elderly is not the esophageal body or the lower esophageal sphincter but affects the passage of food from the oral cavity through the upper esophageal sphincter. Patients are more likely to be unable to initiate swallowing due to chewing, tongue and pharyngeal muscle weakness and, more commonly, forgetting how to swallow as a result of the disease affecting the muscles or the central nervous system. Neurological abnormalities include cerebrovascular accidents, organic mental syndromes and Parkinson’s disease