Disorders of the Digestive System in the Elderly

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Abstract
CHANGES in the anatomy and physiology of the epithelium of the digestive organs because of aging are slight.1 The functional capacity of both the secretory and absorptive cells of the gut is so great that a decrease to as little as 5 to 10 percent of normal function is required for a clinical effect to be evident. In contrast to the epithelial-cell reserve, connective-tissue changes are manifested in midlife, and age-related changes in these tissues are responsible for many digestive disorders, such as colonic vascular ectasias and diverticula of the gut.The anatomical and physiologic changes that do occur in . . .

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