Unexpected Weight Loss Workup

Weight loss of 10 pounds or more or five percent of body weight over a period of 6 to 12 months is considered unexplained unexplained weight loss can be a symptom of a serious condition or illness.

Unexpected weight loss workup. J am geriatr soc. Often a combination of things results in a general decline in your health and a related weight loss. Eating disorders advanced chronic disease.

Unintentional weight loss definition. Men with unexpected wl are three times as likely as men without unexpected wl to have a diagnosis of cancer within. How is unexplained weight loss diagnosed.

You should consult your physician if you have lost more than 5 percent of body weight or 10 pounds without trying in a period of 6 to 12 months. Muscle loss or muscle wasting can lead to unexpected weight loss the major symptom is muscle weakness. Unexpected weight loss wl is recorded for about 1 5 of adults attending primary care 1 2 the likelihood of a cancer diagnosis in such people is increased in the three to six months after the first record of unexpected wl compared with people without unexpected wl.

The differential diagnosis of unintended weight loss in the elderly can be extensive. Unexplained weight loss has many causes medical and nonmedical. Clinically important weight loss is generally defined as loss of more than 5 percent of usual body weight over 6 to 12 months.

Your body is made of fat mass and. A reasonable starting point to initiate a workup is unintentional weight loss of 5 or more of the patient s usual body weight within the preceding 6 to 12 months. Unexplained weight loss is defined as the unintentional loss of at least 10 pounds or 5 of body weight over a period of 6 to 12 months.

One of your limbs may even look smaller than the other. Unexplained weight loss in the ambulatory elderly. Eg cardiac cachexia from heart failure pulmonary cachexia e g.