Weight loss with diarrhea( diarrhea)

click fraud protection

In case of abnormalities in the work of the gastrointestinal tract leading to diarrhea, which lasts for a long time or in an acute form, a decrease in body weight is usually observed.

Weight loss in diarrheal phenomena is caused by:

• lack of appetite;
• reduced intake of nutrients in significant amounts;
• by leaching of nutrients with watery diarrhea with hyperoxia.

Diarrhea and weight loss

Weight loss and diarrhea, along with other symptoms, are the main signs of pancreatitis. With chronic inflammation of the pancreas( pancreatitis), the production of digestive enzymes decreases, and then fats, proteins and carbohydrates do not enter the blood, but are discharged outside with diarrhea. If you have problems with the adrenal glands, accompanied by a frequent liquid stool, there is also a decrease in the mass of the person.

Infectious diseases of the protozoal type with severe diarrhea contribute to a sharp weight loss. In general, weight loss with diarrhea is associated with gastrointestinal diseases, which are caused by inflammatory processes that disrupt the process of digestion of food, destroying the normal metabolism. In the development of the syndrome in this case, the following mechanisms can be singled out:

1. Secretory diarrhea associated with the fact that the release of water into the lumen of the intestine predominates over absorption. With an increase in the amount of water in the faeces to 60-90%, water diarrhea is fixed, leading to weight loss, which can be significant for a very violent stomach disorder. They cause secretion of bacterial toxins( cholera, etc.), biologically active substances and medications of a certain type or overdose. Increase the secretion of sodium and water, causing diarrhea with weight loss, some gastrointestinal hormones and laxatives of natural origin.
2. A hyperosmolar mechanism that develops with an increase in osmotic pressure. This weight loss is due to the fact that the food is not completely digested and is excreted from the body with water.
3. Hyper- and hypokinetic diarrhea characterized by impaired transit of intestinal contents.
4. Exudative, causing damage to the mucous membrane of the output of a protein-rich fluid containing elements of blood and electrolytes in the lumen of the intestine. Such diarrhea with severe weight loss is typical for malignant neoplasms and for intestinal infections( dysentery, salmonellosis, etc.), ischemic bowel disease.