Aunt Qiu has always maintained a normal diet and sleep habits, but in the past 9 months, she suddenly began to have continuous weight loss, accompanied by various problems such as palpitation, hand tremors, poor physical strength and low resistance. This situation brought a lot of psychological pressure to Aunt Qiu, she felt very troubled, and said: "Actually, I am not fat, and I have never tried to lose weight, but my weight has been declining, but I don't know which department to go to for treatment......
So, Aunt Qiu came to the outpatient clinic of the General Medicine Department of the First Hospital of Nanchang City, and went through a comprehensive diagnosis and treatment by a general practitioner. After the results of the examination came out, the reason why Aunt Qiu became thinner finally emerged, it turned out that everything was related to her own endocrine, and she was finally diagnosed with diffuse toxic goiter.
So, what is wasting, what diseases should I watch out for when I lose weight suddenly, and how should I deal with wasting?
Next, let the experts of the Department of General Medicine of the First Hospital of Nanchang City talk to us about this topic!
What is wasting?
Wasting from a general perspective:
Wasting is one of the common undifferentiated diseases, which refers to a state of lower than the normal minimum weight due to a variety of reasons, which may cause physical function decline, affect daily life, and increase the risk of infection.
In mainland China, body mass index (BMI) is generally used as the basis for judging wasting, and when the BMI is less than 18.5kg/m2, it is considered emaciated.
What are the causes and diseases of wasting?
Wasting can be caused by a decrease in the intake and increased consumption of nutrients (including sugars, proteins, and fats) for a variety of reasons. These include: insufficient nutrient intake, impaired digestion, absorption, and utilization of nutrients, increased nutrient demand, and excessive consumption.
What are the dangers of wasting?
In addition to the harm of diseases that cause emaciation, emaciation itself can lead to low immunity, cold tolerance, weakened disease resistance, malnutrition, intelligence, memory, fatigue, poor physical strength, and women will also have menstrual disorders, amenorrhea and other manifestations.
What other problems should I be aware of when wasting down?
1. Long-term use of certain medications
Such as: thyroxine, aminophylline, metformin, laxatives, amphetamines, narcotics, etc., especially some drugs, alcohol, drug dependence, etc.
2. Psychological factors
Weight loss can also be caused by long-term work stress, mental stress, excessive fatigue, mental illness, etc.
3. Aggravation or aggravation of pre-existing diseases
For example, if you have a previous heart disease, you should be aware of the possibility of chronic heart failure if you have recently experienced chest tightness, worsening shortness of breath and progressive weight loss.
What tests are needed for wasting?
1. Detailed physical examination: first of all, the doctor will judge whether it is emaciated, and the doctor will not only ask about the accompanying symptoms of emaciation, but also do a detailed physical examination to pay attention to whether there are characteristic signs, such as: hyperthyroidism (tachycardia, irritability, moist skin, etc.), tumors (such as abdominal masses, etc.), tuberculosis (pulmonary rales, increased body temperature, etc.).
2. Auxiliary examinations: According to the detailed medical history investigation, physical examination, etc., some auxiliary examinations should be carried out in a directional manner, such as blood, urine routine, liver, kidney function, blood glucose, thyroid function, CT or magnetic resonance of chest and abdomen, gastric and colonoscopy, etc., to clarify the cause of weight loss.
How to deal with wasting?
1. With the help of a doctor's guidance:
- After identifying the cause of wasting, actively treat the underlying diseases, such as diabetes, hyperthyroidism, tumors, heart disease, etc.;
- Prevent complications, such as active prevention of osteoporosis in the elderly, prevention of mental retardation in children, prevention of amenorrhea in women, etc.
2. Home care:
- Stop taking drugs that cause weight loss, and change them under the guidance of a doctor if drugs are needed to treat the disease;
- Improve poor eating habits, balanced nutrition, appropriate supplementation of vitamins and minerals;
- Get enough sleep and rest;
- Exercise moderately, adjust your mood, and maintain an optimistic attitude;
- If you have drugs, alcohol, or drug dependence, you need to quit in a professional institution.
Why go to a general practice clinic?
With extensive medical knowledge and extensive clinical experience, GPs are not only able to study and address undifferentiated diseases, but also to comprehensively consider the physiological, psychological and social factors of the patient, comprehensively analyze the patient's condition, and if necessary, work with relevant specialties to develop a personalized treatment plan.
The general practice has set up an outpatient clinic, which will provide one-stop comprehensive assessment and treatment for each patient, customize a health management plan, reduce the number of visits, and help patients get out of trouble.
What are the conditions that can be seen in a general practice clinic?
1. Undifferentiated disease: It does not refer to a single disease, but often shows one or more sets of symptoms, involving multiple organs or systems such as the nervous system and digestive system of the human body. Patients with atypical symptoms and signs (e.g., dizziness, fatigue, weight loss, pain, edema, etc.) who cannot be determined at the outset of what specialty to see;
2. Patients with chronic diseases that have been clearly diagnosed, but require long-term, continuous and comprehensive diagnosis and treatment;
3. Patients with chronic diseases who have a clear diagnosis and treatment plan, but the disease involves multiple systems and needs to be treated in several specialties at the same time;
4. Patients with common and multiple chronic diseases and multiple diseases that need to be diagnosed and treated at the same time;
5. Health examination and health consultation.
When you come to the hospital and encounter confusion and do not know which department to visit, the most convenient thing is to visit the general medicine department first, let the general practitioner make a preliminary judgment and comprehensive analysis for you, and if necessary, refer to a specialist for further treatment.
General practice outpatient visit hours
Monday to Saturday 8:00-12:00, 14:30-17:30
Visiting Locations:
Room 10, 3rd Floor, North Building, Outpatient Clinic, Donghu Campus, First Hospital of Nanchang City
Nanchang First Hospital, Qingshanhu Campus, No. 10 Outpatient Room, Second Floor
Expert Profile
Luo Xiangfeng
Head of the Department of General Medicine
general practitioner
Chief Physician of Nephrology
Expert Profile
Member of the Standing Committee of Jiangxi Nephrology Branch of Chinese Medical Association
Member of the Standing Committee of Jiangxi Rheumatology and Immunology Branch of Chinese Medical Association
Member of the Standing Committee of the Nephrology Society of Jiangxi Association of Integrative Traditional and Western Medicine
Expert of Jiangxi Provincial Nephrology Medical Quality Control Center
Professional expertise
Various primary and secondary nephropathies, membranous nephropathy, IGA nephropathy, refractory urinary tract infections, hematuria, diabetic nephropathy.
Rheumatological diseases: long-term treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Sjögren's syndrome gout, systemic lupus erythematosus.
Focus on the prevention and management of high-risk metabolic diseases of various chronic diseases, and the systematic and comprehensive management of various chronic diseases.
Author: Wang Qinyu, Department of General Medicine, Nanchang First Hospital
Correspondent: Liu Zheng
Editor: Huang Menglin
Reviewer: Chen Shirui
Issued: Daley Red
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