Sudden Weight Loss might be a sign of Disease!

Sudden Weight Loss might be a sign of Disease!

Isn’t Having a six-pack abs everyone’s dream? Is everyone happy when they lose weight, even if it is just 1 Kg? Losing weights and getting into shape for many various reasons has been everyone’s to-do list, but very few of them actually take the initiative and work hard to get the results! We talk about the sudden weight loss in our body, is it a good sign?

We get happy when we lose weights, very happy actually, but what we are going to talk today is about the sudden weight loss that you may notice in your body, but without any effort put by you, be it cardio, strength training, yoga, meditations, diet supplements or even green tea, if none of these things have been used by you and still you observe weight loss, there may not be reasons for you to be so happy about, this sudden weight loss may be a bane for you, let’s find out how!

Sudden Weight Loss

SUDDEN WEIGHT LOSS

Unsolved weight loss has many causes, medical and nonmedical. Often, a combination of things outcomes in a general decline in your health and a related weight loss. Sometimes a specific cause isn’t found.

Usually, an unrecognized cancer will have other symptoms or abnormalities of laboratory tests, in addition to unexplained weight loss.

A decent law of thumb is to see your medic if you’ve lost a noteworthy amount (more than 5 percent of your weight), within 6 to 12 months.

We need to keep in mind that not all weight loss is serious. It can happen after a life-changing or stressful event.

Beware of these diseases in case of sudden weight loss:

1. Muscle Loss

Muscle loss, can lead to unexpected weight loss. The major symptom is muscle weakness. One of your limbs may even look smaller than the other. Your body is made of fat mass and fat-free mass, which includes muscle, bone, and water. If you lose muscle, you’ll lose weight.

This can happen if you don’t use muscles for a while. It’s most common in people who don’t exercise, work desk jobs, or are bedridden. Generally, exercise and proper nutrition will reverse muscle loss.

2. Diabetes

Another cause of unwanted weight loss is type 1 diabetes. If you have type 1 diabetes, your immune system attacks cells in your pancreas that make insulin. Without insulin, your body can’t use glucose for energy. This causes high blood glucose.

Your kidneys remove unused glucose through urine. As sugar leaves your body, so do calories.

3. Depression

Weight loss may be a side effect of depression, which is defined as feeling sad, lost, or empty for at least two weeks. These emotions interfere with daily activities, such as going to work or school.

Depression affects the same parts of the brain that control appetite. This can lead to poor appetite, and eventually, weight loss.

4. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive lung disease. This includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Many people with COPD have both.

Emphysema slowly damages the air sacs in your lungs, making it hard to breathe. Chronic bronchitis causes inflammation of the airways that bring air to your lungs. This produces mucus, coughing, and breathing issues.

5. Tuberculosis

Another cause of unexplained weight loss is tuberculosis (TB), a contagious condition that usually affects the lungs. It’s caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria. Weight loss and decreased appetite are major symptoms of TB, but the reasons aren’t fully understood.

TB spreads through the air. You can catch TB without getting sick. If your immune system can fight it, the bacteria will become inactive. Therefore, this is called latent TB.

6. Cancer

Cancer is the general term for diseases that cause abnormal cells to quickly divide and spread. One of the first signs may be an unexplained weight loss of 10 pounds or more. Therefore, this is common with cancers of the pancreas, lung, stomach, and esophagus.

Cancer increases inflammation. This promotes muscle wasting and disrupts appetite-regulating hormones. So, a growing tumor may also increase your resting energy expenditure (REE), or how much energy your body burns at rest.

7. HIV

 HIV attacks immune cells called T cells. This makes it difficult to fight infections. If left untreated, HIV can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). So, advanced forms of these conditions often cause weight loss.

Symptoms like sore throat, mouth sores, and fatigue can make eating uncomfortable. HIV also increase the risk of secondary infections, which increase REE.

Some other causes of sudden weight loss are:

  • Addison’s disease (adrenal insufficiency)
  • Celiac disease
  • Changes in diet or appetite
  • Changes in sense of smell
  • Crohn’s disease (a type of inflammatory bowel disease)
  • Dementia
  • Dental problems
  • Heart failure
  • Hypercalcemia
  • Changes in sense of taste
  • Hyperthyroidism and Hypothyroidism (overactive thyroid and underactive thyroid)
  • Medications
  • Parkinson’s disease
  • Peptic Ulcer
  • Substance abuse (alcohol, cocaine, other)

References:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/symptoms/unexplained-weight-loss/basics/causes/sym-20050700

https://www.healthline.com/health/unexplained-weight-loss#heart-failure

https://www.medicinenet.com/weight_loss/symptoms.htm

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17770-unexplained-weight-loss

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