Suddenly losing weight? They say it's cancer... How many kilograms of weight loss should raise suspicion?

Sometimes, weight loss occurs without any reason.

 

It's not something to be happy about just because you've naturally lost weight; you need to check your physical condition.

 

Because the illness may have taken away your weight. Especially if you have lost more than 5% of your body weight in the past six months without exercising or adjusting your diet, you should consider going to the hospital.

 

 

The first suspected disease that could cause involuntary weight loss is diabetes.

 

Diabetes is a condition in which the insulin secreted by the pancreas does not function properly, leading to elevated blood sugar levels.

 

When blood sugar levels become excessively high, excess glucose is excreted through urine, and sugar is not efficiently converted into energy for the cells.

 

During this process, body weight may decrease as body fat, proteins, and other substances are used as alternative energy sources.

 

Even if you are eating well, if you are losing weight, experiencing severe thirst, or urinating more frequently, you may suspect diabetes.

 

 

Hyperthyroidism can also cause involuntary weight loss.

 

Hyperthyroidism is a condition in which the thyroid hormone that facilitates smooth body metabolism is excessively secreted.

 

As a result, when the basal metabolic rate increases, our body uses not only sufficient energy but also pulls from muscles and fat, leading to weight loss.

 

Patients often feel that their energy quickly depletes even after eating enough food.

 

It can be accompanied by emotional changes such as feeling the heat intensely, sweating excessively, experiencing a rapid heartbeat, becoming irritable, or feeling restless.

 

If left untreated, heart complications or arrhythmias may occur, so it is better to seek treatment quickly.

 

 

Inflammatory bowel disease can also be a cause of involuntary weight loss.

 

Inflammatory bowel disease is a condition characterized by chronic inflammation of the digestive tract, with ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease being the most representative.

 

If symptoms such as weight loss, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and bloody stool appear over several months in young people in their teens to thirties, inflammatory bowel disease should be suspected.

 

Inflammatory bowel disease is a chronic condition characterized by symptoms that improve and then worsen again, so the goal of medication treatment is to control symptoms, prevent complications, and improve quality of life rather than achieve a complete cure.

 

Surgical treatment may be necessary if complications such as strictures, perforations, or abscesses occur.

 

One of the characteristic symptoms of cancers such as colon cancer, bile duct cancer, and blood cancer is rapid weight loss.

 

Cancer cells overconsume proteins and carbohydrates during their growth process.

 

Therefore, muscle loss can lead to weight loss. Especially when cancer develops in the digestive organs such as the stomach or colon, digestion and absorption of food are impaired, often resulting in rapid weight loss.

 

However, a decrease in weight does not necessarily mean cancer should be suspected. Medically, only 16% to 36% of cases of involuntary weight loss are attributed to cancer.

 

Weight loss due to other factors accounts for 60%, and cases with unknown causes make up 24-26%.

 

Meanwhile, involuntary weight loss in the elderly over 65 years old can also be indicative of frailty, along with the causes mentioned above.

 

Frailty refers to a state in which the body's ability to respond to stressors occurring both internally and externally is significantly diminished, unlike normal aging.

 

Since the duration of illness is closely related to mortality rates, it is especially important to pay attention to it, along with weight loss.

 

 

Extreme fatigue

 

Muscle weakness

 

Decreased walking speed

 

If three or more issues occur in the five items related to decreased physical activity, it is necessary to suspect frailty.