Eating disorders: Unexplained weight loss may be an early symptom of undiagnosed eating disorders like anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa. Heart failure: This can cause weight loss, especially in the later stages. Hyperthyroidism: This condition speeds up your metabolism and can lead to weight loss.
As a rule of thumb, losing more than 5% of your weight over 6 to 12 months may indicate a problem. If you're an older adult with other medical conditions and health issues, even a smaller amount of weight loss may be significant.
Cachexia is also called wasting syndrome or anorexia cachexia syndrome. It is a complex problem that is more than a loss of appetite. It involves changes in the way your body uses proteins, carbohydrates, and fat. You may also burn calories faster than usual.
Some types of cancer can also make it harder for your body to absorb nutrients (called malabsorption). Weight loss may be more common in lung cancer and upper gastrointestinal cancers such as pancreatic, stomach and esophageal cancer.
Types of autoimmune disorders
Diabetes (Type I) – affects the pancreas. Symptoms include thirst, frequent urination, weight loss and an increased susceptibility to infection. Graves' disease – affects the thyroid gland. Symptoms include weight loss, elevated heart rate, anxiety and diarrhoea.
What tests to run for unintentional weight loss? Common tests include blood tests (CBC, thyroid function, blood sugar), urine tests, imaging tests (like X-rays or CT scans), and sometimes endoscopy or colonoscopy, depending on symptoms and medical history.
Reduced blood flow to your stomach can make it harder to absorb nutrients from your food and may cause weight loss. Extra fluid retention may cause your weight increase. If you have been diagnosed with heart failure, it's important for you to manage and keep track of symptoms.
This baseline blood test for weight loss measures the levels of several markers associated with metabolism, including a cholesterol and lipid panel, comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) test, and a hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) test.
People naturally lose muscle after 40, especially women after menopause. Because muscle burns more calories than fat, this can slow down your metabolism and make it harder to shake those stubborn pounds.
The point at which unexplained weight loss becomes a medical concern is not exact. But many health care providers agree that a medical evaluation is called for if you lose more than 5% of your weight in 6 to 12 months, especially if you're an older adult.
With muscle atrophy, your muscles look smaller than normal. Muscle atrophy can occur due to malnutrition, age, genetics, a lack of physical activity or certain medical conditions. Disuse (physiologic) atrophy occurs when you don't use your muscles enough. Neurogenic atrophy occurs due to nerve problems or diseases.
“During the first stage of congestive heart failure, you won't experience any symptoms, even during physical activity. You will be classed in stage 1 if you have cardiac disease but this is not causing you any symptoms” explains Dr Hadjiphilippou.
Unintentional weight loss has many different causes. It might be caused by a stressful event like a divorce, losing a job, or the death of a loved one. It can also be caused by malnutrition, a health condition or a combination of things.
Losing more than 1 or 2 lb (0.5 to 1 kg) a week is not safe for most people. It can cause you to lose muscle, water, and bone density. Rapid weight loss can also cause some side effects including: Gallstones.
Causes for Unexpected Weight Loss
Other symptoms include trouble sleeping and muscle weakness which may cause you to feel tired more often. Mental health conditions (depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder): The symptoms of these mental health conditions can also cause involuntary weight loss.
Vasculitis: Vasculitis involves inflammation of blood vessels, leading to various symptoms depending on the affected organs. The diagnosis often requires imaging studies and biopsies, making it one of the more challenging autoimmune diseases to identify.
Hyperthyroidism sometimes looks like other health problems. That can make it hard to diagnose. It can cause many symptoms, including: Losing weight without trying.