Anyone who loses weight fast without a diet should take this seriously. This is because gastrointestinal disorders are often the cause.
(Berlin - 01.07.2016) If you lose more than 10% of your weight without a diet within half a year, you should contact your GP or a gastroenterologist. This is recommended by the German Society for Gastroenterology, Digestive and Metabolic Diseases (DGVS). In one-third of the cases, digestive tract infections are behind a weight loss - for example, an infection, an intolerance or a chronic inflammatory disease. According to the experts of the specialist company, a clarification is also important for the prevention of deficiency symptoms.
Abdominal pain, diarrhoea, constipation: Problem mostly in the digestive tract
"Of course, loss of weight can also be caused by non-gastroenterological disorders and may result from a depression or problems with the prosthesis," explains Prof. Dr Georg Lamprecht, Chief Physician of the Department of Gastroenterology, Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases at the University Hospital Rostock. However, if the weight loss is accompanied by stomach pain, diarrhoea or constipation, the problem usually lies in the digestive tract. "When the body does not adequately split or resorb the food ingredients, we are talking about a malassimilative syndrome," says the expert. The cause may be a whole series partly but also partly rare diseases.
Diagnostics often difficult
"As the symptoms are often unspecific, a diagnostic is a challenge," Lamprecht said. Thus, abdominal pain and diarrhoea can indicate, among other things, the gluten intolerance of celiac disease, the chronic inflammatory disease of Crohn's disease, or even inflammation of the colon - a so-called microscopic colitis. However, there are also problems with the pancreas or the consequences of surgery in the abdomen, which may well have been a long time ago. It is helpful when patients can describe their symptoms as precisely as possible: Do pain occur before or after eating? Is the stool especially watery? Do diarrhoea and constipation change?
In addition, the doctor's laboratory tests of blood, urine and stool, as well as imaging procedures, help to make the right diagnosis. If necessary, he removes tissue from the stomach or intestine and examines these for pathological changes. In addition to the more common disease pictures, it is also thought of rare diseases, according to the expert. For example, decades after a radiation treatment, damage to the intestinal tissue could lead to so-called radiation oedema.
"The first step is to recognize the problem, to seek medical help, and to prevent any imminent shortages," Lamprecht says. After all, digestive diseases do not only lead to loss of weight: If the body does not have enough minerals, vitamins and trace elements, the patients feel tired and poorly efficient. "The faster we can counter the better," the expert said.
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In addition, the doctor's laboratory tests of blood, urine and stool, as well as imaging procedures, help to make the right diagnosis. If necessary, he removes tissue from the stomach or intestine and examines these for pathological changes. In addition to the more common disease pictures, it is also thought of rare diseases, according to the expert. For example, decades after a radiation treatment, damage to the intestinal tissue could lead to so-called radiation oedema.
"The first step is to recognize the problem, to seek medical help, and to prevent any imminent shortages," Lamprecht says. After all, digestive diseases do not only lead to loss of weight: If the body does not have enough minerals, vitamins and trace elements, the patients feel tired and poorly efficient. "The faster we can counter the better," the expert said.
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