The whole truth about dramatic weight loss in women. Weight loss - causes and treatment

12.10.2019

Most often, the causes of dramatic weight loss lie in some kind of disease that constantly haunts a person or arises due to a number of adverse factors. As a rule, weight loss is observed in disorders of the digestive or endocrine system functions.

Consider the most common diseases that can lead to dramatic weight loss in people of different sex and age.

Among women…

thyrotoxicosis. This is one of the disorders of the thyroid gland, in which the level of thyroid hormones (thyroxine and triiodothyronine) increases in the blood. Such a failure can speed up the metabolism, which leads to weight loss. In this case, the appetite of a person can be increased.

With thyrotoxicosis, a woman has the following symptoms:

- sweating;
- increase in pressure;
- acceleration of the heart rate;
- violation of the cycle of menstruation;
- insomnia;
- irritability, mental agitation, anxiety.

There may be pain in the abdominal cavity. The thyroid gland is enlarged.

Anorexia . The causes of dramatic weight loss in women can be caused by anorexia nervosa, a mental disorder that is most common in young girls. With anorexia, there is an almost complete refusal to eat. The reasons for this behavior can be complexes associated with appearance, shortcomings in the figure, overweight.

Often, anorexics themselves realize that their behavior is not entirely adequate, but without outside, qualified help and support from loved ones, they can no longer cope. These conditions are treated by psychiatrists. But even after the patient recovers, the disease can return after a while.

Men…

Stomach cancer. Rapid weight loss can provoke malignant neoplasms. The most common is stomach cancer. Due to a violation of the patency of food through the gastrointestinal tract, due to squeezing of the organs, there is a violation of digestion and, as a result, loss of body weight. The disease occurs twice as often in men than in women.

Symptoms of stomach cancer are manifested in weakness, appetite suppression, early satiety, vomiting immediately after eating. Sometimes there is an aversion to meat products.

Tuberculosis. This is another common disease that causes dramatic weight loss in men. A couple of centuries ago, this disease was called "consumption", because the patient gradually withers away. The following symptoms may indicate the presence of tuberculosis infection:

Constantly elevated temperature (over 37ºС).
Hacking cough, which expectorates mucus streaked with blood.
Sweating at night.

The constant energy costs of the body to fight infection and reduced appetite lead to weight loss in patients with tuberculosis. At the same time, the basal metabolic rate is increased in most patients.

Chronic pancreatitis. The disease is characterized by an inflammatory process in the pancreas. At an early stage of the disease, the pancreas can still perform its functions normally. In chronic pancreatitis, the patient's appetite is reduced, and the food that enters the stomach cannot be properly digested due to an insufficient amount of enzymes produced by the pancreas.

There is a violation of the digestive processes, as a result of which the patient loses weight. Often the patient refuses to eat, because after a full meal he is often tormented by pain in the stomach, severe vomiting, and other unpleasant symptoms appear.

At an early stage, pancreatitis is almost impossible to diagnose. And since the symptoms of chronic pancreatitis are very similar to other diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, its diagnosis is even more complicated. Only a qualified doctor can accurately establish the presence of this pathology in a patient using ultrasound diagnostics, sampling of pancreatic juice, blood, urine and feces.

… and teenagers

Malabsorption. This is not an independent disease, but a painful syndrome in which the mechanism of absorption by the walls of the small intestine of nutrients entering the body along with food is disrupted. Most often, the disease occurs in adolescents.

It is observed in the following diseases:

- congenital intolerance to certain substances;
celiac disease (indigestion due to damage to the villi of the small intestine);
- inflammatory bowel disease;
- syndrome of excessive reproduction of intestinal microflora;
- chronic diseases of the digestive system.

Malabsorption symptoms may include:

Frequent bowel movements (up to 6 times a day).
Liquid stool.
The presence of fragments of undigested food in the feces.
Flatulence, in which intestinal gases have an extremely unpleasant odor.
Polyfecalia (abnormally large amount of feces).
Strong thirst.
Dry skin.
Amyotrophy.
Inflammation of the mucous membranes of the mouth.

Worms, or helminths, are another reason for dramatic weight loss. Helminths are found in both adults and children. But children have worms many times more often, since they are more contacts, attend educational institutions, where there are a lot of people, they do not always wash their hands thoroughly after being outside.

Symptoms of the disease can be different, depending on the type of helminth, whose eggs a person is infected with. Most often, children and adolescents become infected with enterobiasis. The causative agent of this disease is a small white worm pinworm.

It is possible to suspect enterobiosis in a teenager by signs such as itching in the anus, which is especially aggravated at night, abdominal pain, nausea, flatulence, and frequent stools.

With a sharp weight loss, regardless of whether it is accompanied by any other unpleasant symptoms or not, you need to consult a doctor and undergo a series of examinations to identify the causes of rapid weight loss.

The diseases listed above can be extremely dangerous and pose a direct threat to life. It is not recommended to engage in self-diagnosis and self-treatment. Treatment should only be performed under the guidance of a qualified physician.

Causes of sudden weight loss in men

It is safe to say that most of the factors that contribute to rapid weight loss are common to men and women.

Reasons for weight loss in men include:

Important:among the diseases of infectious genesis that cause cachexia, in particular, include and.

Nowadays, many men are subject to frequent emotional overstrain. Stressful situations lead to a sharp weight loss in most of the stronger sex.

In addition to a sharp weight loss, stress causes:

sleep disorders ();
rapid physical and mental fatigue;
irritability.

In some cases, men find it difficult to cope with stress, and they need the help of an experienced psychotherapist, but many are embarrassed to see a doctor. Over time, the situation becomes more and more aggravated, which can lead to serious metabolic disorders, the development of a number of diseases or the exacerbation of existing chronic pathologies.

Often, a sharp weight loss in men is due to dysfunction of the internal secretion organs (hormonal pathologies).

Thyroid diseases (in particular -) can cause an acceleration of metabolism, i.e., an excessively rapid burning of calories from the alimentary route. In such cases, a sharp weight loss develops even against the background (a sedentary lifestyle) and the consumption of high-calorie foods.

Signs of elevated levels of thyroid hormones (a characteristic sign of hyperthyroidism) are:

rapid weight loss (10 kg or more) with increased appetite;
(strong sweating even in a cool room);
constant tachycardia (up to 140 bpm);
trembling fingers;
increased nervous excitability;
irritability;
sleep disorders;
sexual dysfunction (decreased libido and).

When such symptoms appear, it is urgent to seek help from an endocrinologist. The sooner adequate treatment is started, the sooner recovery can be achieved.

The reason for a sharp weight loss can also be such a serious and insidious disease as.

Symptoms of pathology are:

weight loss against the background of a significant increase in appetite;
constant feeling of thirst;
the smell of acetone from the patient's mouth;
(not always).

If one or more symptoms appear, it is recommended not to postpone the visit to the doctor, you must first pass. Early diagnosis is the key to successful treatment of the disease.

Another reason for dramatic weight loss is. It is believed that helminthic invasions occur mainly in children. This is not entirely true. Infection is possible not only if the rules of personal hygiene are not followed, but by eating meat or fish that have not undergone sufficient heat treatment. Men during outdoor recreation quite often eat poorly fried foods.

Clinical signs of helminthiases:

Note:In men, worms can cause early baldness.

Unfortunately, in some cases, a sharp weight loss is caused by much more serious reasons - in particular, oncological diseases of the digestive system. In malignant neoplasms, a significant weight loss in a short time may be one of the first symptoms. If there are no other apparent causes of cachexia, it is highly recommended to be examined by an oncologist. It is possible that this will help to identify the tumor at the initial stages of development, and start complex therapy in a timely manner.

Cachexia is very typical for people suffering from chronic. Women are also affected, but it is more common among men. Addiction to alcohol causes damage to the liver and organs of the gastrointestinal tract. Against the background of alcohol abuse, the process of assimilation of nutrients in the intestines is disrupted, which is the cause of dramatic weight loss even with normal nutrition. In addition, during the period of binges, patients eat very little or refuse food altogether, which leads to rapid exhaustion.

Pronounced thinness is a characteristic external feature of patients suffering from tuberculosis. For an active process, a sharp weight loss is very characteristic.

When the cause of rapid weight loss is often opportunistic infections.

Causes of dramatic weight loss in women

Women suffer from stress at least as often as men. Against the background of psycho-emotional overstrain, the fair sex often develops. This nervous breakdown is also characterized by loss of appetite, leading to a sharp weight loss.

A common cause of exhaustion is a disorder characteristic of women -. To a greater extent, young girls who believe (often completely unreasonably) that they have a lot of weight are subject to it. Patients refuse to eat, and if they are forced to eat, they artificially induce vomiting. Over time, the obsession with losing weight leads to the formation of an aversion to food. Anorexia often causes irreversible damage to the body, which may well be the cause of death.

Symptoms of tuberculosis are weakness, loss of strength, drowsiness, sudden weight loss and coughing attacks not associated with respiratory diseases. If there has been contact with a carrier of the infection and similar clinical signs have appeared, you should immediately contact a general practitioner and a phthisiatrician, do

Recently, most people are concerned about the presence of overweight and, therefore, weight loss is not considered a problem. Losing weight as a result of dieting, exercising and cosmetic procedures is a normal state of the body. In some cases, weight loss occurs for no apparent reason - this is an indicator that something is wrong in the body, and this is not a reason for joy, but a signal for an in-depth examination.

Safe weight loss

Weight loss is the most common problem for obese people. In this case, the loss of extra pounds is due to a reduction in the amount of body fat. Of course, everyone wants to lose weight quickly, and at the same time make a minimum of effort. However, firstly, this is impossible, you will have to work on yourself, and a lot, and secondly, it should be understood that radical diets and excessive physical activity can lead not only to the desired result, but also to a hospital bed, providing serious problems with health for life.

To reduce body fat, you need to eat right and exercise regularly.

It should be complete, and to determine the optimal calorie content of the diet, it is better to contact a specialist. Physical activity should also be dosed and regular.

Now all kinds of sources of information are full of various diets that promise weight loss by 10, 20, or even 30 kg per month. A definite answer, how many kilograms can be “lost” while on a diet per month for a specific person without harm to health, will only be given by a nutritionist. It is necessary to take into account the initial weight, age, physical capabilities and the state of the body losing weight. The optimal is the loss of 2-3% of the initial body weight monthly. It is this loss that the body can perceive as physiological and will not return the lost kilograms like a boomerang.

Another reason for weight loss that is not associated with diseases is increased physical activity (for example, the transition to heavy physical labor). In this case, it is necessary to increase the calorie content of the diet and the amount of protein consumed in order to provide for the increased energy consumption of the body. The old diet with increased physical exertion over time can lead to exhaustion.

When Should Weight Loss Be Concerned?

To think about the fact that something is happening to the body should make losing weight for no apparent reason. For example, a person leads a habitual way of life, his diet has not changed recently, physical activity has not increased, and for some reason weight loss occurs. Moreover, in some cases, a person loses up to 10 kg in weight every month, this, of course, is reflected in his appearance, and this is a reason to sound the alarm. Sometimes the cause of such changes in the body is quite easy to identify, it is enough for the doctor to carefully ask the patient about the latest events in his life. And sometimes, in order to understand what led to a sharp weight loss, you have to go through more than one examination.

The causes leading to pathological weight loss can be divided into several large groups:

restriction of food intake (voluntary or forced);
violation of digestive processes;
metabolic disease;
oncological diseases.

Food restriction

Sometimes losing weight is not a reason for joy, but a signal that something is wrong with the body.

intoxication

Each of us suffered from other infectious diseases. One of the symptoms that occurs with every disease that is accompanied by an intoxication syndrome is the absence or decrease in appetite. A person deliberately refuses food, because he simply does not want to eat. In addition, attempts to force-feed him can cause nausea and even vomiting. After suffering the flu, many people notice a weight loss of a couple of kilograms on the scales.

Chronic infectious diseases, such as, and others, as well as, are often accompanied by chronic intoxication, in which case the person's appetite is reduced for a long time, as a result of which weight loss progresses. The first signs of such diseases that should alert are constant malaise, fatigue, weakness, subfebrile body temperature, which persists for a long time.

Neuropsychiatric disorders and diseases of the central nervous system

There is an expression “to seize stress”, which means that a person’s appetite increases in any situations associated with psycho-emotional stress. In fact, this is not always the case. In many cases, with stress, depression, and a number of mental illnesses, appetite decreases or disappears altogether. By the way, “unhealthy cravings” for thinness, deliberate refusal of food for the sake of weight loss and other unnatural measures that lead to disruption of the internal organs are today a serious problem, designated by the term “anorexia nervosa”.

Weight loss is observed with severe CNS damage as a result of or when food intake is impossible as a result of impaired consciousness or a swallowing reflex.

Chewing and swallowing disorders

One of the reasons for weight loss in older people is a problem with the chewing apparatus, simply speaking, with teeth, or rather their loss. Poorly chewed food is poorly digested in the subsequent sections of the gastrointestinal tract, which is why there is no full absorption of nutrients, as a result - weight loss.

Diseases of the larynx and esophagus, in which there is a narrowing that prevents food from entering the stomach. Most often, this problem occurs with tumor diseases, scars and strictures of the esophagus. Significant narrowings are found already in the later stages of the disease. In the early stages, choking is possible when swallowing, pain or discomfort when the food bolus passes through the esophagus, the appearance of such symptoms is a reason to see a doctor.

Diseases of the digestive tract

Diseases of the digestive system that lead to weight loss can be divided into 2 large groups: a violation of the digestion of nutrients and a violation of their absorption.

With liver diseases (hepatitis, fatty degeneration, etc.), and gastritis, oncological diseases of the digestive tract, their digestive function suffers. The production of enzymes is disrupted, and as a result, the food is digested incompletely.

The absorption of nutrients for the most part occurs in the intestines, therefore, with diseases such as colitis, enteritis, and others, the body also does not receive enough nutrients.

Everyone can suspect such problems in their body on their own: pain in the area of the affected organ, bloating, cramps, flatulence. The main symptom is a violation of the stool: possible, but more common diarrhea, discoloration of feces, oily sheen, the presence of visible remnants of poorly digested food in it, etc. If such problems occur, you should consult a doctor.

Metabolic disease

Perhaps this cause of weight loss is the most difficult to diagnose, since for a long time, in addition to losing weight, which can be gradual and not very noticeable, there are no other symptoms.

One of the diseases in which body weight loss occurs with preserved appetite is (increased production of thyroid hormones with, toxic adenoma and). In the body, under the action of thyroid hormones, metabolic processes are activated, the breakdown of protein and adipose tissue increases, as a result of which a person loses weight. One of the early symptoms of thyrotoxicosis can attract attention - the patient is constantly hot, even outside in the cold.

As a result of injuries, oncological and infectious diseases of the brain, it can lead to disruption in the production of several hormones at once, which are responsible for normal metabolism throughout the body. As a result of such a severe pathology, against the background of other symptoms, there is a rapid loss of body weight up to 8-10 kg per month.

- Another endocrine disease, which, contrary to popular belief, can lead not to weight gain, but to its loss, and sometimes very quickly. This condition most often occurs in young people and children with type 1 diabetes, when insulin is not produced by the pancreas. Cells cannot get glucose and begin to use adipose tissue and proteins to meet their energy needs, leading to weight loss. Symptoms of this disease cannot be overlooked, patients develop severe thirst, polyuria (frequent urination, daily urine volume can exceed 4-5 liters), loss of appetite (both increase and decrease), increased fatigue, with the progression of the disease, the smell of acetone from body and exhaled air.

Oncological diseases

With cancer of any organs, sooner or later, exhaustion of the body's strength and weight loss occur, this is also facilitated by difficult tolerable treatment. With damage to the digestive tract, this symptom can be the first and force a person to see a doctor. With oncological diseases of other organs, weight loss may begin later.

Summing up, we can conclude that causeless weight loss is a reason to listen to your body and pay attention to your health. Many diseases leading to pathological weight loss are successfully treated, and, of course, in the early stages, the likelihood of achieving a positive result is much higher.

The appearance of a tumor and weight loss

With oncological diseases, a sharp weight loss occurs in the vast majority of cases. Weight loss is due to the fact that tumor cells divide very quickly, and this requires energy. Therefore, a significant part of the resources is spent on ensuring the vital activity of the neoplasm, in connection with which there is a noticeable weight loss in a short time.

At the same time, the sick person loses his “taste” for life, becomes lethargic and uninterested. A characteristic symptom is also loss of appetite, which only contributes to weight loss. In addition, some temperature increase is often observed, more often to subfebrile numbers (37.0 - 38.0 degrees), because the tumor releases toxic substances. Finally, some note the appearance of pain in those organs that were affected by the oncological process.

It is important to know that if urgent measures are taken during this period and treatment is started, it is possible to get rid of the tumor and prevent metastasis. The survival rate in this case is quite high. However, if the initial symptoms of cancer are ignored, time can be lost and life expectancy will be shortened. Ultimately, severe exhaustion develops - cachexia, which becomes a frequent cause of death in tumor processes.

Disorders in the hormonal system

Some endocrine diseases lead to weight loss, and the most famous of them is thyrotoxicosis. An excess of thyroid hormones leads to an excessive acceleration of metabolic processes, so even fat reserves are used. In addition to sudden weight loss, thyrotoxicosis has a number of characteristic features:

sensation of heat, increased sweating, sometimes fever,
trembling fingers, tip of the tongue,
a change in the face (it takes on an angry expression) due to "bulging eyes" - exophthalmos,
menstrual dysfunction in women,
mood swings, tearfulness, some hysteria.

When such symptoms appear, it is best to contact an endocrinologist. Timely initiated therapy helps to eliminate developing changes, however, with a late visit to the doctor, irreversible consequences may occur.

Slightly less likely to deal with type 1 diabetes. It develops most often in children and young people. It is this type of diabetes that is characterized by a sharp weight loss, and against the background of increased appetite, which usually does not happen in the second type. In addition, type 1 diabetes in the initial stages manifests itself

intense thirst and frequent urination,
weakness, apathy and drowsiness,
dryness and itching of the skin, pustular lesions of the skin, which are difficult to fight.

Usually this disease manifests itself early, and its debut is quite severe - a coma, loss of consciousness due to an excessively high level of blood glucose. This should not be brought to this point, because such conditions pose a threat to life. It is best to immediately contact an endocrinologist as soon as a sharp weight loss and other signs are detected.

Much less often the cause of severe weight loss is pheochromocytoma- a tumor of the adrenal glands, which in excess produces the hormones adrenaline, norepinephrine. This condition is also characterized

tachycardia,
increased nervous excitability,
headache,
fast fatigue,
pain in the abdomen.

In many, pheochromocytoma leads to the periodic development of paroxysmal conditions that manifest themselves as nausea, vomiting, frequent urination, sweating and thirst, unmotivated fear or aggression.

Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract

Many of the disorders in the digestive system are in themselves accompanied by a loss of appetite, which causes weight loss. However, it is precisely to a sharp weight loss that conditions that are characterized by a violation of the digestion and absorption of nutrients lead. These diseases include:

gastritis with atrophy,
peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum,
enteritis and colitis,
pancreatitis,
celiac disease

Usually they are accompanied by various dyspeptic symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, constipation and diarrhea, abdominal pain, a feeling of heaviness, belching or heartburn. Only a doctor can diagnose such conditions, and it is necessary not only to pass basic tests, but also to undergo a series of examinations. In most cases, gastroduodenoscopy is enough to establish the disease and its cause.

This condition develops with some of the diseases described above - oncological processes and helminthiases. However, even chronic infectious diseases can lead to the development of an intoxication syndrome.

Poisoning the body with toxic substances provokes damage to cellular elements. This leads to fever, weakness, loss of appetite, nausea and weight loss. The focus of chronic infection in the body may not manifest itself in any way, but against its background, exhaustion will still progress. Only a doctor can detect and eliminate the infection, so you need to go to the hospital.

Psycho-emotional disorders

It is impossible not to say that various psycho-emotional disorders lead to a sharp weight loss, which are accompanied by loss of appetite or refusal to eat. A decrease in appetite is observed in many people in mental overstrain, but after getting out of a stressful situation, it normalizes.

More and more cases are being reported anorexia nervosa- a mental disorder that girls and women usually suffer from. It is manifested by a pathological desire to lose weight, refusal to eat, inadequate perception of one's own body. With anorexia, weakness also occurs, menstruation stops, swelling appears, vellus hair on the skin, anemia develops.

Critical dehydration

Sometimes a sharp loss of several kilograms in a matter of days is not due to the burning of fat reserves or the loss of muscle tissue, but to dehydration. This condition can occur due to prolonged diarrhea (due to infectious diseases of the digestive system or the abuse of laxatives), frequent urination, repeated vomiting, heavy sweating.

In addition to the fact that the weight is reduced by several kilograms, thirst, nausea, weakness (up to fainting), confusion occur, skin elasticity decreases, and the pulse quickens. This condition is life-threatening, so the best solution would be to call an ambulance or go to the clinic yourself, where the volume of lost fluid will be quickly restored with infusion therapy.

Our specialists