Dramatic weight loss is not always a positive development. When a rapid, significant or unexpected decrease in body mass cannot be attributed to healthy changes in diet or exercise, a serious medical condition may be responsible. Such conditions can increase the body's metabolism, decrease one's appetite, and interfere with the digestion of food and the absorption of nutrients. Contact a health care professional immediately in all cases of severe or unexplained weight loss.
Chronic Diseases
As disease is one of the many causes of dramatic weight loss, informing a health care professional quickly can be critical to achieving a positive outcome. Chronic diseases, including often-fatal ones, may be behind sudden loss of weight. Cancer, hyperthyroidism, HIV and AIDS are notable examples of wasting conditions. Among chronic maladies, liver disease and kidney failure are known to cause weight loss.
Acute Illnesses
Even less-serious ailments may be to blame for a rapid decline in weight. Infections and fevers typically increase the body's temperature and thereby its rate of calorie consumption, ultimately lowering weight. Food poisoning and other illnesses that cause severe or long-lasting vomiting or diarrhea can do the same, while simultaneously reducing appetite and inhibiting food digestion and absorption.
Drugs
Interference with appetite, digestion and absorption can also arise from the ingestion of numerous substances, legal and illegal. Some prescription medications, over-the-counter medicines and illegal drugs can cause severe loss of weight.
Specifically, chemotherapy drugs, thyroid medications, antibiotics and some other prescription medicines can cause weight loss, as can diet drugs and laxatives, particularly when abused. Amphetamines and stimulants, including street drugs such as crack, crystal meth and speed, often are to blame for dramatic reductions in weight.
Mental Conditions
Stress and depression frequently impact appetite and digestion and can lead to lower weight. Disorders specifically related to food (particularly the self-starvation typical of anorexia nervosa, and, in some cases, the violent binge-purge cycle common to bulimia) can cause rapid and severe loss of weight. These conditions can also cause permanent damage to the body and may become life-threatening if untreated.
Other Causes
Less-common causes of dramatic weight loss include everything from painful mouth sores and braces to smoking and extreme dieting. One particularly pernicious source of weight loss is malnutrition itself, which can be both the cause and effect of severe weight loss. Insufficient diet and nutrient deficiencies usually are behind malnutrition, but instead of causing increased appetite, the opposite may result, creating a vicious cycle. As with other causes of dramatic or mysterious weight loss, contact a health care professional immediately.
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