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Digestive System
INTRODUCTION
For the purposes of determining impairment due to disorders of the upper digestive tract, “desirable” weight may be defined as follows:
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A.
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If the examiner is able to determine by history or from previous medical records a weight before onset of the patient’s digestive illness that he or she considers “usual,” the examiner should use that weight as the “desirable” weight from which any deviations are measured.
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B.
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If the examiner is not able to determine by history or from previous medical records a pre-illness “usual” weight, the examiner should refer to a table of “desirable” weights and should determine deviations from the lower end of the range of the “desirable” weight for the patient’s sex, height, and body build. Table 1, which is based on the 1979 Body Build Study by the Society of Actuaries and Association of Life Insurance Medical Directors of America, is recommended.
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For an obese patient, the pre-illness weight may not be as physiologically “desirable” as the present weight; thus, the examiner should use judgment in assessing the relative importance of weight loss in determining the impainnent rating.In most cases, the examiner should use the definition shown under A. The definition and reference in B will be helpful if A cannot be used.
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