Weight loss

Introduction By definition, as long as the body weight is reduced to more than 5% of the original body weight within 6 months, it is a meaningful weight loss. There are many reasons for weight problems, general and poor digestion, abnormal sleep, and thyroid, mood and other effects. Chronic infections - including tuberculosis, mold, amoeba, etc., rare subacute bacterial endocarditis infection can also cause weight loss. The most important thing about weight loss is to find out the cause to prevent the disease from becoming more serious.

Cause

Malignant tumor:

Most malignant tumors are characterized by weight loss. Therefore, those who are not thin and who are obviously thin in the near future should be vigilant. Pancreatic cancer, which is mainly characterized by vague upper abdominal pain, is often mistaken for stomach disease. The prominent symptom of this disease is that the body weight is significantly reduced, and even the weight can be reduced by more than 10 kg in one month.

Hyperthyroidism:

The thyroid function of the elderly is not as easy to identify as the hyperthyroidism of young people. About one-third of the patients have no thyroid enlargement, and more than 1/2 of the patients have no obvious symptoms. The main manifestation is that they are getting thinner and thinner.

Chronic infectious diseases, elderly tuberculosis, chronic liver disease, etc.:

Many chronic infectious diseases are also a common cause of weight loss in the elderly. As the body's catabolism is strengthened, the digestion and absorption function is weakened and secondary infections cause excessive consumption of nutrients in the body, resulting in significant weight loss.

Adrenal insufficiency:

Some elderly people with this disease have only a thin performance in the early stage, and later, typical symptoms and signs such as skin mucosal pigmentation gradually appear.

Gastrointestinal system diseases:

For example, chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer, chronic non-specific colitis and other gastrointestinal diseases can cause the elderly to not eat properly, digestive and absorption functions are relatively poor, leading to malnutrition and weight loss in the elderly.

Drug-induced weight loss:

This weight loss is often caused by taking some drugs that enhance the metabolism of the human body, such as dinitrophenol and thyroxine. It can be seen that if the elderly find that their body weight has been continuously relieved for a period of time, they should be vigilant and consult a doctor in time.

an examination

Related inspection

Necessary trace element detection gastroscope serum complement C4 cleavage product dose dexamethasone inhibition test urine 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid

1. Find out the cause of weight loss based on the patient's medical history.

2. Diagnose the diagnosis based on the degree and severity of weight loss.

Differential diagnosis

The diagnosis should be differentiated from the following symptoms:

1. Weight gain: Symptoms in which the body weight exceeds the usual level and continues to rise.

2. Consumptive weight loss: refers to the performance of weight loss caused by consumptive diseases, which can be found in tuberculosis, diabetes, hyperthyroidism and the like.

3. Cough with weight loss: Cough with weight loss is one of the symptoms of tuberculosis.

The material in this site is intended to be of general informational use and is not intended to constitute medical advice, probable diagnosis, or recommended treatments.