Sudden weight loss - a warning sign of some dangerous diseases

Cancer

Patient Nguyen Huu H. (38 years old, Hanoi) came to the K Hospital for examination in a state of emaciation, yellow eyes, and abdominal pain. Mr. H. shared that 3 months ago, he had experienced loss of appetite and weight loss. However, the couple thought that it was due to hard work (selling fruit), leading to poor appetite and weight loss, so they did not go to the doctor. Recently, Mr. H. experienced pain in the right area. Mr. H. went to a private hospital for examination. The doctor performed an abdominal ultrasound and discovered a 6cm liver tumor, suspected of malignancy, so he was referred to the Central K Hospital for further examination. The doctor said he had epithelial liver cancer.

Continuous weight loss is a sign that you need to see a doctor. Photo: Nzherald

According to Master, Doctor Ha Hai Nam - Lecturer of Oncology Department, Hanoi Medical University, sudden weight loss is a typical sign of many cancers. Doctor Nam said that about 40% of patients first diagnosed with cancer lose weight for unknown reasons and up to 80% of people with late-stage cancer lose weight and become emaciated due to a combination of weight loss and loss of muscle mass. Weight loss due to cancer often occurs with pancreatic, esophageal, stomach, colorectal, and lung cancers.

Cancer causes weight loss because cancer cells grow rapidly, need a lot of energy to divide cells and develop. Cancer cells take energy from the nutrients you eat, from healthy cells. Therefore, you will lack energy and lose weight. In addition, cancer cells invade and compress other organs in the body, the protein reserves from the liver are mobilized, leading to a gradual decrease in body weight. Therefore, if in a short time the patient suddenly loses weight without fever, dehydration, or bowel movements, it could be one of the warning signs of cancer.

Metabolic disease

In addition to cancer, sudden weight loss is also a warning sign of metabolic disorders. Dr. Nguyen Trong Hung - Head of the Department of Adult Nutrition Consultation and Counseling, National Institute of Nutrition - said that many patients suddenly lose weight due to diabetes or thyroid disease.

Diabetes is a disorder of blood sugar metabolism. In Vietnam, it is estimated that there are more than 5 million people with diabetes, of which millions do not know they have the disease and are not treated. Diabetes is a dangerous disease because it causes serious complications in organs such as the brain, eyes, heart, kidneys, blood vessels, etc., threatening the patient's life. In particular, the 4 typical signs of this disease are weight loss, frequent urination, eating a lot, and constant thirst.

Weight loss accompanied by increased heart rate, anxiety, restlessness, tremors or insomnia are signs of hyperthyroidism. Thyroid hormones play a role in many functions in the body. Hyperthyroidism is a condition in which the thyroid gland is overactive, producing too many hormones. This excess hormone will burn a lot of energy even when the body is resting. Therefore, patients eat well but lose a lot of weight, usually about 3-5 kg ​​within 1-2 months.

Doctor Hung said that if your body loses an unusual amount of weight, from 4.5-5kg or about 5% of your body weight or more after 6-12 months, you should have a medical examination to find out the cause of the disease./.