Digestive or inflammatory diseases, eating disorders, depression ... Weight loss can be explained by somatic or psychological problems. A nutritionist doctor and an intern in psychiatry take stock.
Weight loss is a concern when you lose 10% of your weight in a month. This is the case for a person who goes from 60 to 54 kg in 30 days.
Somatic or psychic, many causes may explain involuntary weight loss. Dr. Nina Cohen-Koubi, nutritionist and psychomatician doctor as well as L. Florion, intern in psychiatry detail them.
Somatic causes of weight loss
To determine the cause of unintentional weight loss, it is necessary first to check the food intake. If they have not changed, then the problem is more likely to be physical.
In this case, the weight loss may be related to:
Digestive diseases: this is particularly the case with the presence of parasites in the intestines such as tapeworm, gallbladder problems or pathologies that cause diarrhea or vomiting.
Inflammatory diseases such as Crohn's disease (inflammation of the digestive system) or ulcerative colitis (affecting the rectum and left colon also called RCH). These conditions result in diarrhea and pain, which can lead to weight loss.
Allergy to gluten: to treat it, it is necessary to avoid the gluten contained in many foods (breads, pasta, wheat). The patient can then lose weight.
Hormonal problems: the metabolism increases, the food is immediately burned, they are not stored.
Some infections like pneumonia where the appetite can be reduced. It is a mechanism put in place by the body to better fight against infection.
Cancers can be responsible for a loss of appetite, the body having less strength. But it depends on the age, the individual, and the type of tumor.
Some medications, such as oral antidiabetic drugs, are accompanied by weight loss.
Some treatments where it is necessary to heal, to reduce or ignore families of food. When patients need to return to a balanced diet, they may have difficulty regaining their fitness weight. Their bodies are no longer used to absorbing these foods.
Psychic causes of weight loss
On the contrary, if nutritional intake has decreased, the most classic causes may be either psychic or related to the socio-economic context.
Anorexia nervosa: this eating disorder (TCA) mainly affects young women who are attentive to their weight and calories, also prone to dysmorphophobia. Because of the misperception they have of their bodies, some do not notice their weight loss.
Depression: Weight loss is one of the symptoms of this mood disorder with fatigue and decreased motivation to perform daily tasks. Patients with depression experience less pleasure in eating and / or losing appetite.
Bipolar Disorders: Weight loss is not a symptom of diagnosis, but loss of appetite can be seen in patients with this other mood disorder. Some people are prone to a depressive episode (same symptoms as depression), or more rarely to be in a manic or hypomanic episode. They are then over-active psychic and physical, resulting in negligent weight loss meals or no feeling of hunger.
Schizophrenic disorders: when the disease is not stabilized, some patients lose touch with reality and are subject to delirium sometimes in connection with food, thinking for example that their food is poisoned. They do not feed or little.
Following an emotional shock: after the loss of a being, a break, it can happen that a person loses appetite and reduce portions. In general, this sensation does not last long.
Age: the elderly, especially when they are isolated, no longer feel the urge to cook or eat. The risk of falling into depression is greater. They can also lose certain senses such as smell or taste and no longer enjoy eating.
