The identification and evaluation of loss of appetite is hampered by the fact that there are no specific criteria that allow us to consider the need for food intake as an unambiguous sign of disorders. Individual characteristics vary significantly from person to person and depend on gender, age, profession, sports, bad habits and hormonal status. For example, older people cope with hunger more easily and maintain a sense of satiety for longer. Individuals who exercise intensively or moderately are more likely to feel hungry/unsatisfied with food intake. When diagnosing, these differences must be taken into account.
Patients themselves may not complain that they have lost their appetite, especially if the cause lies in depression / the consequences of severe stress / psychological problems. In such cases, close relatives pay attention to reducing food intake. Questionnaires or questionnaires are widely used for an objective assessment of appetite.
Pronounced symptoms of the underlying disease, such as fever, pain, diarrhea, in themselves imply the absence of the need to eat. In such cases, the diagnosis of appetite disorders is usually not required, since a bright clinic will not allow one or another serious disease to be missed.
Another thing is pathologies in which lack of appetite is the only symptom. Incorrect assessment can lead to late diagnosis and complications. An example is the notorious anorexia nervosa. In most cases, pathology is detected by relatives and friends already in the presence of pronounced changes, when body weight is significantly reduced.
Common diseases accompanied by lack of appetite (pathology + code in accordance with the international classification of diseases ICD-10):
Anorexia nervosa F50;
Depression F30;
Anxiety disorders F40;
Acute stress disorder F43.0;
Bipolar disorder F31;
Dependence on drugs F10;
Deficiency of thyroid hormones E03.9;
Tuberculosis A15;
Infectious mononucleosis B27;
Brucellosis A23;
Viral hepatitis B15, B16, B17;
HIV infection B23.0, acquired immune deficiency syndrome or AIDS B24;
Gastric cancer C16;
Lung cancer C33;
Liver cancer C22;
Pancreatic cancer C25;
Hodgkin’s lymphoma C81;
Iron deficiency anemia D50.9;
Gastric ulcer K25;
Duodenal ulcer K26;
Gallstone disease K80.
Lack of appetite may indicate infectious and parasitic pathologies, liver or kidney failure, and cardiac pathologies. This symptom occurs in all patients with acute surgical pathology of the abdominal organs. Loss of appetite provokes the use of antidepressants, antibiotics, anticancer drugs, hormonal drugs, drugs and alcohol. The combination of this symptom with unexplained weight loss in a short period of time is a warning sign. A thorough examination is necessary to identify the causes of violations of the need for food intake.
The minimum necessary examination for a pathological decrease in the need for food:
General blood test with leukoformula;
General blood analysis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_test;
Blood chemistry;
Analysis of feces;
Analysis of urine;
chest X-ray;
electrocardiography;
Therapist’s consultation.