2023-04-12 08:07:55
Definition of hyporexia: when do we talk regarding loss of appetite?
Known in medical terms as “hyporexia”, the loss of appetite simply results in decreased desire to eat. It can be temporary, and generally benign, or more long-lasting and reveal a more serious health problem. It can be characterized by a lack of feeling of hunger, disgust, disgust for food, or very rapid satiation.
Sudden weight loss, fatigue, nausea: when to worry?
When the loss of appetite is long-lasting, unexplained and causes weight loss and fatigue, it is advisable to consult.
Dr Pierre Boucher, general practitioner: An important element is to weigh yourself: a loss of more than 5% of body weight should cause concern and a medical check-up is necessary.
This is for example the case of a person who goes from 60 kg to less than 57 kg in a few weeks for example.
Covid, gastro, stress, pregnancy, flu, depression, cancer: what are the causes of loss of appetite?
There are many causes of loss of appetite. “Almost all illnesses can cause a loss of appetite,” says the general practitioner.
The most common causes are:
- THE infections : viral, bacterial, fungal… all infections are likely to cause a decrease in the feeling of hunger, more particularly when there is an associated fever. Flu, sinusitis, covid, angina, bronchitis… are all illnesses that cause a loss of appetite.
- The stress, depression, anxiety, emotional shock…
- A chronic disease : diabetes, heart failure, hypo or hyperparathyroidism…
- A digestive disease : Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, appendicitis, intestinal obstruction…
- Most cancers may cause loss of appetite in some people.
- age : when we age, our body functions in slow motion, our nutritional needs decrease and our appetite decreases accordingly.
- The start of pregnancy : Nausea is one of the main symptoms of early pregnancy. Some pregnant women are quickly disgusted by the slightest smell of food, and have a suppressed appetite during the first weeks of pregnancy. If in the vast majority of cases the nausea stops at the end of the first trimester, it happens that it persists throughout the duration of the pregnancy and is detrimental to its smooth running: this is gravidic hyperemesis, which must be taken into account. medically charged.
- Taking certain medications including antidepressants, opioid painkillers, antibiotics, and type 2 diabetes medications that affect appetite. Cancer treatments can also cause a decrease in the feeling of hunger,
Why are we not hungry when we are sick?
Flu, cold, sinusitis… most viral or bacterial infections tend to make us lose our appetite.
Dr. Boucher: When you are sick, the body reacts to defend itself. Among other things, it produces inflammatory cytokines, one of the side effects of which is to reduce appetite.
There may also be associated symptoms depending on the nature of the infection: such as nausea where the vomiting in case of gastroenteritis or sore throat in case of angina, which also cut the desire to eat.
Which cancer causes loss of appetite?
“All of them are likely to cause loss of appetite. Moreover, the loss of weight resulting from this loss of appetite is often the cause of the discovery of cancer”, indicates the general practitioner. The reason ? An immune system molecule secreted in abundance during cancer interferes with areas of the brain responsible for appetite regulation.
Moreover, the body’s resources are diverted for the benefit of cancerous cells which particularly need energy: we speak ofhypercatabolismethat is to say that the body will need more energy than usual, hence the significant weight loss. “When a patient consults because he has lost 10 kg in 3 months, the outcome is often the diagnosis of cancer,” he adds.
However, depending on its location, the cancer can make you lose your appetite more or less. The cancers most often responsible for loss of appetite are: all cancers of the head, mouth and neck, cancer of the esophagus, cancer of the colorectal, cancer of the stomach, cancer of the pancreas, liver cancer and cancer of the small intestine.
THE cancer treatmentsand mainly chemotherapy, often cause a decrease or loss of appetite.
Diagnosis: what examinations in case of hyporexia?
When the loss of appetite sets in over time and causes significant weight loss, it is essential to consult your doctor to understand the cause. “A questioning of the patient and a detailed clinical examination will allow the doctor to identify the origins of his lack of appetite. Depending on this, he may prescribe if he deems it necessary a biology report (blood test, urine analysis, etc.) and/or additional imaging tests (ultrasound, X-ray, MRI, scanner, colonoscopy, etc.), explains Dr Boucher.
If the doctor suspects a depressive episode or eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, he may also prescribe a psychological evaluation to his patient.
How to find the appetite?
The first thing to do in case of loss of appetite is to treat the cause when it is identified.
When hyporexia is due to drug treatment, the prescribing physician may possibly change the treatment or reduce its dosage.
If the loss of appetite is related to depression, stress or anxiety, the psychological care associated with appropriate treatment can improve symptoms.
“Generally speaking, I recommend patients to sto pleaseto eat everything in reasonable quantities and to have a healthy lifestyle”, summarizes the general practitioner.
Patients who have lost their appetite and are losing a lot of weight (as may be the case with the elderly) can be prescribed food supplements to help with calorie intake.
Finally, if the loss of appetite is the consequence of cancer treatment, the oncologist can prescribe drugs to stimulate appetitesuch as megestrol, medroxyprogesterone or corticosteroids.
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