Unintentional weight loss and fatigue can be due to many things, so it is important that if you are experiencing these symptoms that you make an appointment with your primary care physician. However, before you begin to panic, take a few deep breaths and try to think rationally. How much you weigh is established by many factors such as age, medications and how many calories you have consumed. Fatigue can simply be caused by too much stress and not enough sleep.
Considerations
Innocuous causes of unintentional weight loss and fatigue, according to the Mayo Clinic, can be caused by an increase in your activity level. You may be skipping meals because you have a busy schedule. You also may not be balancing how much you eat with the intensity of your exercising.
Effects
The next group of factors to examine would be your level of anxiety, stress or depression, all of which can cause weight loss and sleep deprivation. These are by no means little annoyances and should be treated immediately. Stress has been linked to many chronic illnesses and can adversely affect your overall immune system.
Warning
The worst case scenarios of unintentional weight loss and fatigue include lupus or pulmonary tuberculosis. With lupus, fatigue is quite common and is one of the first signs of systemic lupus erythematosus, as is weight loss. With pulmonary tuberculosis, the unexpected weigh loss and fatigue do not appear at first, but they do eventually become a defining factor of the disease.
Identification
The list does not stop at lupus and tuberculosis unfortunately. Unintentional weight loss and fatigue can be underlying symptoms of a plethora of illnesses. Some of these illnesses include neurological illnesses, cancer, gastrointestinal diseases, endocrine disorders, infections such as HIV, cardiovascular disease or kidney disease. All of these diseases have their own specific symptoms, yet many begin with the unintentional weight loss and fatigue. A good rule of thumb, according to the Mayo Clinic, is if you suddenly lose 10 pounds or more and the weight loss continues, there is cause for concern.
Prevention/Solution
Even though unexpected weight loss and fatigue are also a natural part of aging, it can and often does indicate a decline in health. If you live with or are a care giver for an elderly person, it is best to monitor eating and sleeping habits, make sure their medications are administered correctly and be cognizant of the side affects.
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