Weight loss - unintentional

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Weight loss - unintentional

Definition

Unintentional weight loss is a decrease in body weight that is not voluntary.

Weight loss will occur with decreased food intake, increased metabolism, or both. See also intentional weight loss.

Alternative Names

Loss of weight

Considerations

There are many causes of unintentional weight loss includingendocrine, gastrointestinal, and psychiatric disorders, as well as nutritional deficiencies, infections, tumors and neurological disorders.

Anorexia nervosa appears almost exclusively in adolescent girls. While many teenagers go through a phase of excess dieting (see intentional weight loss), only a few actually develop anorexia nervosa. Of those who do, up to 15% die from complications of the condition. Anorexic girls tend to come from families that often talk about the "right" amounts or kinds of things to eat, and these girls may use their refusal to eat as a way to manipulate their parents. See also bulimia.

Causes

Conditions that prevent food consumption such as painful mouth sores, newly applied orthodontic appliances, or loss of teeth
Manipulative behavior (in children)
Unrealistic expectations of caretakers (with children)
Depression
Malnutrition
Loss of appetite
Prescribed or over-the-counter drugs (including amphetamines, chemotherapeutic agents, laxative abuse, and thyroid medications)
Drug abuse and smoking
Unrecognized intentional weight loss
Undiagnosed anorexia nervosa or bulimia
AIDS
Malignancy
Acute infection
Chronic infections such as tuberculosis
Parasitic infections (particularly if you are from or have recently traveled to another country)
Chronic diarrhea
Hyperthyroidism

Review Date: 5/4/2003
Reviewed By: Bridget Martell, M.D., Department of Internal Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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