There is talk of involuntary weight loss when a person reduces their body volume without wanting to. That is, this individual is not doing a treatment or a specific diet to lose kilograms. The situation is seen as a red flag.
Before the consultation for this problem, doctors immediately trace underlying causes to rule out malignant processes and serious diseases that put life at risk.
It is worth clarifying that not all involuntary weight losses are extremely serious, as long as they do not last over time. For this reason, professional evaluation is important in each case to determine the steps to be followed.
In strict terms, the health team must be alerted if more than 5% of the weight that the person had before is lost, in 6 months. If the drop in kilograms is at the limit of that percentage, you can wait up to a year.
Who is most at risk and why?
There are population groups more likely than others to suffer from involuntary weight loss. In a healthy adult it is somewhat rare, although it can appear spontaneously. The situation is different in those over 60 years of age, among whom the symptom can be detected with a frequency greater than 10%.
With hospitalizations there is a constant that is located in 2% of the internees losing weight during hospitalization. Now, if this hospitalization is long or becomes institutionalization, then the prevalence increases to 50%.
Involuntary weight loss leads to increased morbidity, and in patients with previous disease, the prognosis worsens. In the case of cancer, it is configured as a sign of progression and poor response to treatments.
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