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The most common causes of weight loss associated with diseases:
- Various endocrine disorders, hormonal imbalance:
- thyrotoxicosis (thyroid disease);
- pheochromocytoma (adrenal gland disorder).
- Loss of nutrients:
- diabetes;
- malabsorption syndromes.
- Malnutrition:
- malignant tumors;
- infectious diseases (HIV, tuberculosis and others);
- hypercalcemia (malignant neoplasms, hyperparathyroidism, sarcoidosis);
- chronic renal failure;
- violation of the gastrointestinal tract potency;
- anorexia nervosa;
- primary and secondary adrenal insufficiency;
- Biermer's disease;
- Altsgeymer's disease;
- depression.
1. Basic metabolism rate is regulated by various hormones produced by the thyroid, pituitary and adrenal glands.
Insufficient or excess production of thyroid hormones such as thyroxine and triiodothyronine causes a change in metabolic rate and body weight fluctuations. In hypothyroidism (thyroid failure), the exchange rate decreases and weight increases. In hyperthyroidism, respectively, on the contrary.
2. Underweight, especially with a sharp decline of weight may be a sign of cancer diseases! You must pass inspection and make the appropriate tests.
Weight loss especially frequently is observed with malignant neoplasms of GI, pancreas and liver. In the early stage of development of tuberculosis, fungal infections, infective endocarditis, viral hepatitis, and in HIV infection, before development of AIDS, weight loss may be the single sign of disease.
3. A situation where an increased appetite accompanied by weight loss, most often is in diabetes mellitus, hyperthyroidism and various malabsorptions. At leukemia, lymphoma and Hodgkin disease also sometimes is marked weight loss at normal or even increased appetite.
4. Parasitic diseases may also lead to both an increase and weight loss. In particular, giardiasis often leads to loss of appetite.
The causes of weight loss so far not been studied properly, and performed study included too few patients, so all the results should be considered speculative. The most likely diagnosis in young people is diabetes, hyperthyroidism, anorexia nervosa and infectious diseases, particularly HIV infection. Significant weight loss in the elderly is most often due to malignant neoplasms, as well as mental illness such as Alzheimer's disease and depression.
Weight loss due to reducing appetite may also occur in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart failure, chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis of the liver, as well as neurological diseases, such as Parkinson's disease.
The cause of weight loss may also be diarrhea, which usually occurs in intestinal infections, and can also occur when stress, worry or be a side effect of certain medications.
The lack of weight may be associated also with the state of the spine. If the spine is curved in an area that is related to the gastrointestinal tract (e.g., offset of 6 and 7 vertebrae in the thoracic region), it also can to block weight gaining.
Finally, some bad habits such as smoking, may also speed up metabolism and lead to weight loss, just not to mention the direct harm to health. Drugs also stimulate the metabolism; in addition, they suppress appetite. With their long reception painful thinness occurs, not to mention other unfortunate consequences for health.
Excessive caffeine intake (tea, coffee) can also cause weight loss. Doctors noticed that patients taking narcotic drugs for the treatment of asthma, containing ephedrine and caffeine, losing weight quickly, resulting in Europe in recent years has been spread drugs for slimming containing these substances.
By the way, if a cup of coffee contains natural 60-120 mg of caffeine, then in black tea - 45 milligrams, that is not much less. That's tea contains much less caffeine - only 20 mg.
Since the spectrum of possible causes of weight loss is quite broad, it is necessary to consult several specialists - physician, endocrinologist, nutritionist, - especially if you have lost a healthy appetite. Many diseases that lead to weight loss can occur for a long time hidden.
What should be checked:
- thyroid function - to do ultrasound and hormone analysis;
- the work of the digestive tract - to do ultrasound of the abdomen, if possibly also fibrogastroduodenoscopy for to exclude atrophic gastritis;
- pass a stool (coprogram, analysis of feces for eggs of intestinal worms, analysis of fecal bacteria overgrowth;
- make a chest x-rays;
- a blood test (general, ESR, wbc).
Your doctor will tell you whether the lack of weight to be caused by disease, if you're lucky, he even did advise you about the program to gain weight. And if his advice on weight gain will be to the same correct, then consider yourself lucky twice!
If you have not found any abnormalities, then we can talk about right nutrition and the mode of your life. Without determine the cause of insufficient weight, it's very difficult to change the situation. You should grow stout only with all the possible causes of underweight!
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