Clinical evaluation of failure to thrive in older people.

The purpose of this article is to outline a clinical approach to patients with failure to thrive in old age. The article starts with a hypothetical clinical case presentation epitomizing the problem seen in an outpatient clinic by geriatricians. This case is then used as a basis to discuss salient features of failure to thrive which may be different from patient to patient. The focus is on using standard outpatient evaluation methods to identify common problems causing failure to thrive.