Unexplained weight loss of 0.5 kg (1 lb) or more a week is almost always medically significant. Steady weight loss can be a symptom of thyrotoxicosis (sweating, feeling hot and restless, diarrhoea, increased appetite - see Thyroid Problems), diabetes mellitus (great thirst, frequent urination, tiredness, normal appetite - see Diabetes), Tuberculosis (mind fever, tiredness, dry cough with blood or pus in sputum), Brucellosis (flu-like symptoms, which drag on, depression, joint pains), Peptic Ulcer or cancer of the stomach (see Cancer) (pain in upper abdomen), Crohn's Disease or cancer of the colon (see Cancer) (Abdominal Pain, Diarrhoea, perhaps blood in stools), malabsorption (Diarrhoea, pale bulky stools which float), or AIDS (see Sexually Transmitted Diseases). See entries above for homeopathic treatment.
See Weight Problems entry for more information. |