Involuntary weight loss is a common finding in medical examinations, and is associated with a number of serious ailments, including psychiatric disorders, endocrine disorders, nonmalignant gastrointestinal disease and cancer. Despite the potential implications of undiagnosed weight loss, it is sometimes overlooked or discounted by doctors searching for other signs of disease. Proper evaluation of this condition involves a multistep approach to isolate and identify its underlying causes.
Identifying Significant Weight Loss
According to the journal Resident and Staff Physician, involuntary weight loss becomes medically significant when 10 pounds or more of body weight are lost during a six-month period without explanatory changes in diet or exercise levels. If you experience this symptom, see your doctor for proper evaluation. Your doctor may also initiate an evaluation on his own if testing shows you have lost 5 percent or more of your body weight.
Medical History, Physical Examination and Blood Tests
The first step in evaluating involuntary weight loss is an assessment of your medical history and reported symptoms, combined with a physical examination. During your physical exam, your doctor will pay special attention to certain areas of your body, including your chest, abdomen and teeth. He will also look for any obvious lumps, masses, bumps or signs of unusual lymph gland activity.
Particular signs that may indicate the presence of cancer include sores that do not heal, bowel or bladder changes, swallowing difficulties, unexplained bleeding or discharge, persistent coughing or visible changes in any warts or moles.
To round out your overall health picture, your doctor will also ask you questions regarding your appetite, alcohol and/or drug use, changes in physical activity, recent travel history, sexual activities and medication usage, among other factors.
Your doctor may also use any one of a number of lab tests to better assess your condition. Common examples include urinalysis, complete blood cell (CBC) counts, metabolism analysis and measurement of your output of thyroid-stimulating hormones. Depending upon the particulars of your situation, tests given may also include blood cultures, prostate-specific antigen testing, HIV testing, hemoglobin A1c testing or drug screening. You may also undergo a nutritional assessment to determine your body's use of available food calories.
Imaging Techniques
The next step in a thorough evaluation is imaging to uncover the presence of any solid masses within your body. The most widely used method of testing here is computed tomography (CT) scanning, enhanced with the use of an oral or injected contrast material to highlight any abnormalities. If you are female, your imaging tests may also include a mammogram for further cancer screening. If your doctor suspects the presence of osteomyelitis (infection of the bone or bone marrow), he may also order a procedure called nuclear bone scanning.
Gastrointestinal Endoscopy
A third step in evaluating involuntary weight loss is a technique called gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy, which involves the use of a small camera mounted on a flexible tube to examine your GI tract. Typically, this procedure is only performed if other methods of evaluating your weight loss are inconclusive. For this reason, if you undergo GI endoscopy it will probably occur well after any other examinations. Consult your doctor for details of this procedure.
Tags: weight loss, your body, involuntary weight loss, your doctor, also include, body weight, doctor also
