Recent Weight Loss
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Reviewed By:

Unnati Patel, MD, MSc

Unnati Patel, MD, MSc (Family Medicine)

Dr.Patel serves as Center Medical Director and a Primary Care Physician at Oak Street Health in Arizona. She graduated from the Zhejiang University School of Medicine prior to working in clinical research focused on preventive medicine at the University of Illinois and the University of Nevada. Dr. Patel earned her MSc in Global Health from Georgetown University, during which she worked with the WHO in Sierra Leone and Save the Children in Washington, D.C. She went on to complete her Family Medicine residency in Chicago at Norwegian American Hospital before completing a fellowship in Leadership in Value-based Care in conjunction with the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, where she earned her MBA. Dr. Patel’s interests include health tech and teaching medical students and she currently serves as Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Arizona School of Medicine.

Yoshinori Abe, MD

Yoshinori Abe, MD (Internal Medicine)

Dr. Abe graduated from The University of Tokyo School of Medicine in 2015. He completed his residency at the Tokyo Metropolitan Health and Longevity Medical Center. He co-founded Ubie, Inc. in May 2017, where he currently serves as CEO & product owner at Ubie. Since December 2019, he has been a member of the Special Committee for Activation of Research in Emergency AI of the Japanese Association for Acute Medicine. | | Dr. Abe has been elected in the 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia Healthcare & Science category.

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Content updated on Jan 23, 2024

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  • Getting skinny

  • So skinny

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About the Symptom

It refers to a recent noticeable drop in body weight that occurs.

When to see a doctor

Seek professional care if you experience any of the following symptoms

  • Recent weight loss

Possible Causes

Generally, Recent weight loss can be related to:

  • Anorexia nervosa / bulimia nervosa

    A condition with a heightened fear of gaining weight and focus on controlling body image. Patients try to lose weight excessively through fasting, inducing vomiting, or excessive exercise. Binge eating may also be involved.

  • Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

    Also known as ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease, or motor neuron disease, this progressive, degenerative condition affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. It results in loss of muscle control, eventually leading to difficulty eating, breathing, and speaking. The exact cause remains unknown and may be due to genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors.

  • Hepatic cancer

    Also known as liver cancer. The most common type is hepatocellular carcinoma. Causes include chronic viral infections, like Hepatitis B and C, excessive alcohol consumption, or fatty liver disease that have caused chronic inflammation and/or cirrhosis.

  • Chronic pancreatitis
  • Pancreatic cancer
  • Vitamin B12 deficiency
  • Polymyositis / dermatomyositis
  • Hyperemesis gravidarum
  • Hyperthyroidism

Related serious diseases

Sometimes, Recent weight loss may be related to these serious diseases:

  • Adrenal insufficiency (e.g. Addison disease)

    The adrenal gland is an organ that releases hormones to control blood pressure and metabolism. In this condition, there are low hormone levels, and the causes include damage to the adrenal glands themselves or parts of the brain that control the adrenal gland. It can present with darkened areas of skin, extreme loss of body water, also known as dehydration, fatigue, weight loss that doesn't happen on purpose, nausea, vomiting or belly pain, lightheadedness or fainting, salt cravings, muscle or joint pains.

Doctor's Diagnostic Questions

Your doctor may ask these questions to check for this symptom:

  • Did you lose weight recently?

  • Do you have a reduced appetite and eat less food?

  • Is your neck swollen?

  • Are you feeling nauseous or have you been vomiting?

  • Do you have a fever?

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Find Similar Symptoms

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Reviewed By:

Unnati Patel, MD, MSc

Unnati Patel, MD, MSc (Family Medicine)

Dr.Patel serves as Center Medical Director and a Primary Care Physician at Oak Street Health in Arizona. She graduated from the Zhejiang University School of Medicine prior to working in clinical research focused on preventive medicine at the University of Illinois and the University of Nevada. Dr. Patel earned her MSc in Global Health from Georgetown University, during which she worked with the WHO in Sierra Leone and Save the Children in Washington, D.C. She went on to complete her Family Medicine residency in Chicago at Norwegian American Hospital before completing a fellowship in Leadership in Value-based Care in conjunction with the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, where she earned her MBA. Dr. Patel’s interests include health tech and teaching medical students and she currently serves as Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Arizona School of Medicine.

Yoshinori Abe, MD

Yoshinori Abe, MD (Internal Medicine)

Dr. Abe graduated from The University of Tokyo School of Medicine in 2015. He completed his residency at the Tokyo Metropolitan Health and Longevity Medical Center. He co-founded Ubie, Inc. in May 2017, where he currently serves as CEO & product owner at Ubie. Since December 2019, he has been a member of the Special Committee for Activation of Research in Emergency AI of the Japanese Association for Acute Medicine. | | Dr. Abe has been elected in the 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia Healthcare & Science category.

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