weight loss

Inadvertent weight loss

part (2)

The Anatomy of a Great Weight Loss A review of the systems should be complete; symptoms for all major organ systems should be considered. An anamnesis of past diseases can identify diseases that can cause weight loss. Questions are also being discussed about the need to use prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs, light drugs, and herbal remedies. Social history may reveal changes in life situations that could explain why food consumption is declining (for example, loss of a loved one, loss of independence or work, loss of generally accepted eating habits).

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The Anatomy of a Great Weight Loss  Objective examination
Vital signs are checked for fever, tachycardia, tachypnea, and hypotension. Weight is measured and body mass index calculated ( Obesity: Diagnosis ). To assess muscle mass, the thickness of the skin fold on the triceps and the average girth of the arm can be measured (Overview of Undernutrition: Objective Examination ). BMI and muscle mass estimation are useful mainly for detecting dynamics on subsequent visits.

General examination should be especially complete, including examination of the heart, lungs, abdominal organs, head and neck, mammary glands, nervous system, rectum (including prostate examination and analysis for occult blood), genitals, liver, spleen lymph nodes, joints, skin, mood, and emotional reactions.

Anxiety symptoms

Fever, night sweats, generalized lymphadenopathy
Bone pain
Shortness of breath, cough, hemoptysis
Inappropriate fear of weight gain in teenage girls or young women
Polydipsia and polyuria
Headache, chronic dislocation of the lower jaw and/or visual impairment in the elderly
Roth spots, Janeway sores, Osler nodes, hemorrhages at the base of the nails, retinal artery embolism
Interpretation of Results
Interpretations of some data are given in the Interpretation of individual results in case of involuntary weight loss. Abnormal results indicate the cause of weight loss in about half or more patients, including patients who were eventually diagnosed with cancer.

Even though many chronic diseases can lead to weight loss, the doctor should not rush into the assumption that existing diseases are the cause of this. Although an existing disease is a likely cause of weight loss in patients whose condition remains poorly controlled or worsens, in stable patients who suddenly begin to lose weight without worsening the course of the disease, new diseases can be diagnosed (for example, patients with stable ulcerative colitis may begin to lose weight because they have developed colon cancer).

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Screening for age-appropriate cancer screening (e.g., colonoscopy, mammography) is shown if they have not been done before. Another study is in the treatment of diseases suspected of having an abnormal history or examination. There are no generally accepted recommendations for another type of patient research without any focal pathological results. According to one of the proposed approaches, it is necessary to do the following tests:

Chest x-ray

General urine analysis
General blood test with the definition of a leukocyte formula
Determination of ESR and C-reactive protein content
HIV testing
Biochemical analysis (serum electrolyte and calcium levels, liver and kidney function test)

To be continued..........