Sudden weight loss. What you need to know

Medication

Medications used to treat certain conditions can speed up your metabolism, which will cause you to burn more calories or reduce your hunger. These include: stimulants, chemotherapy drugs, antidepressants, type II diabetes medications. Talk to your doctor if you lose your appetite or start losing weight after you start taking the medicine.

Psychiatric or neurological diseases


In conditions such as depression, anxiety disorder, or post-traumatic stress disorder, a person may not realize for a long time that something has changed in their life. Especially if he is immersed in work or not inclined to listen to himself. And then you should pay attention to weight fluctuations.

Clinical depression alters  the biochemistry of the brain - in particular, it affects those parts of it that control appetite and the pleasure of eating. In people with depression, the perception of taste and smell is disturbed. Any food seems fresh. In addition, neurosis and depression are often accompanied by an exacerbation of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, such as gastritis.


Heart failure

Significant weight loss is typical for severe degrees of heart failure. According to a 2014 study, people with this disease are 3 times more likely to have a heart attack if doctors report sudden weight loss.

Why does this condition make people lose weight? There is no single answer. According to one version, since it is difficult for the heart to pump blood and supply oxygen to the tissues, the body spends more energy breathing to get it. Low blood flow in the gastrointestinal tract can make it difficult to absorb nutrients. Another explanation is the high level of inflammatory cytokines, which increase the metabolic rate in tissues.

It is worth adding that weight loss may not always be noticeable due to the swelling that accompanies this condition.

Bowel disease
In the intestines, nutrients are absorbed into the blood, which then enter the cells. Microscopic villi that are dotted with the mucous membrane are responsible for this process. If for some reason the mucous membrane becomes thinner or dies, the body receives less nutrition. The conveyor of food, which passes through the intestinal tract, is no one to "unload".

A common cause of mucosal damage is various forms of food intolerance, such as  celiac disease  (intolerance to the gluten protein found in cereals). When gluten is ingested by a person with celiac disease, their immune system mistakenly attacks the small intestine. Similar problems can arise with chronic gastritis, enteritis, colitis.

If weight loss is due to malabsorption of nutrients, then symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating, feeling of heaviness, diarrhea or constipation are observed. It is worth paying attention to the signs of a lack of vitamins and minerals - this is anemia, dry skin, brittle nails, bleeding gums.

Diabetes


In type I diabetes, the pancreas does not produce enough insulin. It is a hormone that the body uses to metabolize sugar (glucose) from food. In order to eliminate the glucose that could not be utilized, the body increases the excretion of urine - as a result, the body loses fluid and nutrients.

Another reason is related to starvation of the body. Due to the fact that glucose does not enter the tissues, adipose and muscle tissues are used as an energy source. As a result of active fat burning, body weight decreases sharply - up to 10-15 kg per month. In addition to weight loss, a person may experience weakness, dizziness, severe hunger. He begins to go to the toilet more often, there is a smell of acetone from his mouth. 

It is often thought that type 1 diabetes develops in childhood and that its causes are hereditary. But it is not always the case. In about 20% of cases, this variant of diabetes develops in adulthood. And most of these cases are not genetic in nature.