The Gastrointestinal System in Geriatric Patients

All organs and physiological processes of the human organism, including gastrointestinal system, are affected by aging (Rémond et al., Oncotarget 6(16):13858–13898, 2015). Effect of aging of gastrointestinal system includes a reduction in sensory perceptions, salivation, oral health, the absorption of nutrients, and lactose tolerance. Although many of these age-related changes are primarily functional, there are other changes that can be detected with imaging techniques (e.g., pancreatic atrophy, lobulation, and fatty degeneration (Sato et al., Eur J Radiol. 81(9):2093–2098, 2012)). Functional changes can then result in organic alterations and therefore become visible by imaging, both directly and indirectly (Dumic et al., Can J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2019:6757524, 2019). In this type of patient, diagnostic imaging acquires an increasingly important value, and constant technological innovations allow for a more accurate and early diagnosis.