HYPERPHAGIA IN DEMENTIA .1. THE USE OF AN OBJECTIVE AND RELIABLE METHOD FOR MEASURING HYPERPHAGIA IN PEOPLE WITH DEMENTIA

Up to one third of dementia sufferers eat an increased quantity of foo d, compared with their premorbid intake, at some stage during the deme ntia. A proportion of these eat extraordinarily large quantities if fo od intake is not restricted. In order to investigate this phenomenon i n detail, a reliable and standardized method of quantifying the degree of hyperphagia is required. We report the development of such a metho d. Twenty-six people with dementia, who were reported by their carers to be hyperphagic, were compared with 14 matched non-hyperphagic contr ols with dementia and 14 matched normal elderly. Subjects were offered two standardized meals, under specified conditions, ad libitum. One m eal consisted of a single food, the other of a mixture of foods. The t otal energy intake provided a reliable measure of the degree of hyperp hagia. The single food meal was more reliable but the mixed meal was a more sensitive measure of the hyperphagia. (C) 1997 Academic Press Li mited.